Amazing Grace
by Milky Etoile
Summary: AU What if Gin had decided to do more than just poison Kudou Shinichi? And, what if, months later, Akiba Conan joins Kuroba Kaito's class with no memory of his past…and Kaitou KID finds a rival in the seven-year-old boy?
1. Prelude

_Summary:_ [AU] _What if Gin had decided to do more than just poison Kudou Shinichi? And, what if, months later, Akiba Conan joins Kuroba Kaito's class with no memory of his past…and Kaitou KID finds a rival in the seven-year-old boy?_

_My muse seems to enjoy torturing me with major fanfiction ideas. Especially when I'm _not_ supposed to be writing anything outside of scientific reports. Huh. And at the same time too, if you'd notice that I posted another DC fic aside from this. Gah. Muse-chan doesn't like giving me breaks. She's demanding that I continue all the other fics I had planned for PoT and FMA…or else she'll force more plots on me. I already feel another PoT plot coming…-shudders-_

_Anywho, I shouldn't keep you for long here. I'll just inform you now that I may not be able to update as much as I want to, as I'll be busy with studying despite that it is summer. And I really can't be online as much as I used to. I'll try to update at least once a week though. The next chapter is already in progress n.n_

_Before I forget, this fic is dedicated to _**Cheshire XIII** _and_ **Tsubome**. _For giving such nice feedback after hearing the main plot. Hope I don't disappoint too much :D_

**Disclaimer:** All intellectual rights for the characters go to Gosho Aoyama. Except for a random character somewhere…but he hardly counts. Yes, I mean even the woman who plays a big role here. Anyone who can recall who she is? :3

* * *

**Opus 1: Amazing Grace**  
Chapter One: _Prelude_  
By Milky Étoile

"Aniki, what do we do with him?"

"We can use that new poison on him. But I think this boy needs to be taught a lesson before we send him over to the other side…"

* * *

The morning was as peaceful as always for her on the days before performances. The weather was perfect too for her ritual of walking around a nearby forest.

She didn't hurry as she walked along the trail. There was much to see, no matter that she had already gone the same path before and had seen those same trees. There were new branches with new nests perched upon them, birds fluttering around them, and a bundle of clothes lying just beneath a cypress tree.

She blinked and backtracked, curious. She approached the tree and saw that, indeed, there was a bundle of clothes huddled at the base. Who could have left those in this kind of place? The idea that some person may have done something inappropriate in the otherwise tranquil forest made her blush and recoil from the articles of clothing.

But weird dark patches on what seemed to be a jacket caught her attention enough to make her come closer once more. It didn't seem like dirt… Her maroon eyes widened as she realized with a terrifying jolt what it was. Blood.

She didn't even think of what she was doing. She abruptly took the jacket and was astonished when there seemed to be something preventing her from pulling it. When she suddenly heard a pain-filled moan, she froze. The sound came from the bundle of clothes. As she stared at it, it _moved_. With her hand still clutched on one sleeve of the jacket, she drew closer carefully. The bundle moved again—it turned.

She let out a gasp. There was a child, a _boy_, entangled in the bloody and soiled clothes. One glance told her that all the blood probably came from him. Blood was running down his face from somewhere on his scalp. Dark brown hair stuck together in clumps and a few strands were _dripping_ with the red liquid. She couldn't tell what other injuries were on his face except for the straight gash that ran from his left eyebrow down to his cheek. She had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from exclaiming in horror. She just _knew_ that there were probably more dangerous injuries beneath all the far-too-large clothing.

She took a deep breath to calm herself before letting go of the sleeve she was still holding. Making up her mind, she reached for her mobile phone. Before she could dial though, the child let out a strangled noise. Frozen once more, she watched as his right eye opened very slowly, showing her a dulled blue iris. It seemed to focus on her after a moment. The boy's lips moved, but only a weak whisper came out.

"…go…me…ra…"

She let out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding when the boy's eye closed once more. His form was limp once more, telling her that he had probably fallen unconscious again. She turned her attention to her phone and tried to keep her voice steady when she was answered.

"Hello? This is Akiba Reiko. There's a very injured boy here in the Shinma Forest… Yes, in the forest, close to the eastern entrance, please, hurry!"

* * *

Reiko wasn't sure why she even stuck around. The police had already questioned her about her findings. Not to mention, she looked and felt filthy with dirt and blood from her attempt at stemming the flow of blood from the boy's wounds. Her usually immaculate long reddish brown hair was messily tied in a ponytail. She had used her white jacket to clean the child as much as she could. It was now beside her, looking as if it were crimson in color all along due to the amount of blood on it. She shuddered when she thought of how much of the red liquid that the boy lost.

She wiped her hands with the towel she had been provided with, unsuccessfully removing the grime stuck on them. She sighed. She probably should have at least accepted the change of clothes that a kind nurse had offered when the injured boy had been wheeled into the operating room.

But she felt glued in the plastic chair facing the doors of the operating room with the red light on above it. She kept on trying to talk herself into leaving, even if only for a bit, but she just _couldn't_. Not when a poor boy was fighting so vainly for his life.

Her shoulders visibly shook. She wasn't sure why she was so affected by the thought that he might not make it with all of his grave injuries. She didn't have any idea what his name was.

Her chest heaved as she took deep breaths, trying hard not to cry. But her tears seemed to ignore her attempts as they fell down her pale cheeks.

That kid had better make it through alive or he'd regret making her weep like this.

"Are you the boy's mother, madam?"

Reiko looked up sharply at the question. Blinking, she realized that the light above the door was now off and that the middle-aged man in front of her was the doctor in charge of the operation. Remembering the question, she shook her head.

"No. I was the one who found him in the forest like that."

The spectacled surgeon nodded. "I see. Well, Miss, it was good that you managed to find him at that time. If he had gotten here ten minutes later, I doubt he would have had a chance without a miracle."

She let out a sigh of relief. Before she could ask for other details, the doctor fixed her with a stare.

"As it is, it was _already_ a miracle that he lived through his injuries. We managed to stabilize him. He had numerous lacerations and quite a few broken bones. We also had to close what seemed to be a bullet wound—" He paused when she gasped. "—But luckily, the bullet didn't hit any vital organs. However, it had passed through his torso and we had to close both sides. We've had to replace a lot of blood too. And that head injury is problematic and may cause other effects that we cannot assure until he regains consciousness. Also, his left eye had been slashed with some sharp object and it needed sutures. I'm afraid he probably wouldn't be able to see with that eye anymore, damaged as it was by the gash and the other injuries inflicted on his face."

Reiko vividly remembered that gash. It was a long one and to have that stitched…

"We've done all we could. He has gone into a coma and we cannot do anything else for him. It's all up to him now." The doctor put a hand on her shoulder. "I am aware that you probably do not even know who that boy is, but right now, he needs support. I hope you can at least visit him and provide that until we find his guardians."

Her eyes traveled past his shoulder when the very subject of their conversation was brought out of the operating room carefully. Almost all of the parts of the boy that were not under the blanket were covered in bandages. He wore a gas mask that was linked to a tank that was being wheeled along the bed. Both of his hands had needles with tubes stuck in them, one leading to a bag of clear liquid and the other to one with red liquid.

"What's your name, ma'am?"

The doctor's voice brought her out of her stupor. After taking a deep breath, she answered, "Akiba Reiko."

He nodded and noted something on the clipboard that he was holding. "Akiba-san, we'll be placing him in the intensive care unit. You can see him again later if you wish. However, I would advise that you take care of yourself first. The nurse has informed me that you haven't left to eat or clean up since the operation started."

She nodded. "Thank you, sensei."

He gave her a smile. "I'm only doing my job, Akiba-san."

* * *

Days later, Reiko found herself inside the boy's room, her clothes and hair covered with a protective attire. He looked to be in the same condition that she left him in the previous day, except the IV wasn't attached at the moment. The nurse monitoring the child told her that he was still in a coma but his vitals were improving.

She sat down the plastic chair provided for the room, trying to ignore the heavy smell of antiseptic in the air. She really disliked hospitals. They brought back such painful memories.

She shook her head. They weren't as painful as before, especially in the face of a more pressing situation.

She clenched her hands into fists. She already admitted to herself that she had somehow come to care for the child that she didn't even know the name of. She had already taken responsibility for his expenses, since the police still couldn't find who or where his guardians might be.

They had mentioned the possibility that he was an abused child, considering his injuries and the fact that no one seemed to be searching for him. The idea made her blood boil. Who could be so vile as to harm an innocent kid like him?

_"I don't know how some parents can hurt their own children when they're supposed to be caring for them."_

She remembered _him_ saying that to her when he had brought her along to the shelter that he did his volunteer work in. He taught there whenever he could and played his flute for the children when they asked for him to. Her late fiancé, Souma Hikaru, always had a soft spot for kids and had dreamed of having them someday.

"_How many of them do you want to have?" he asked her as they watched the children play with one another in the yard of the shelter._

"_Eh?" She had never really thought of having kids yet._

_"I don't know about you but I want at least ten of 'em!"_

_Her eyes widened as she stared at his huge grin with an incredulous expression. She scowled at him and hit him lightly on his shoulder when she spotted that mischievous glint in his eyes._

_"Okay, okay, just five then!" he proposed with a laugh._

_"Easy for you to say!" she exclaimed with a glare. "You won't be the one giving birth!"_

_"Ah, but you'll be breaking my hand when I hold yours during your delivery, right?"_

_"That won't be as painful, you idiot!"_

Unfortunately, due to the accident he had gotten into, his dreams that had become hers too had died with him.

Then, she recalled that the police officer she had spoken to the other day had told her that if they didn't find the unknown boy's guardians soon, he would be placed in a shelter for children or a foster program when he recovers.

She didn't want to leave the poor boy in that situation. But she wasn't sure what she could do aside from shouldering his expenses for the moment.

Absently, she started humming Hikaru's favorite song.

* * *

"…_Non cercar più rose e gigli."_

Reiko relaxed in her seat after finishing the song. She set her maroon eyes on the boy's barely-moving form. "Well? Was that better than the song I sang yesterday? It was one of the songs that my sensei recommended for my graduation recital. It's by Vincenzo Bellini too."

Of course, the boy couldn't answer her. She continued speaking though.

"I've been singing Italian songs for the past week. Maybe you'd prefer hearing English ones?"

In her deep thought, she didn't notice one of the boy's fingers twitch slightly.

* * *

"He's not in critical condition anymore, right?" Reiko asked the nurse that came in the room.

The young woman addressed nodded, not sure why the lady was asking as she had been told of that news the previous day.

"And he's also out of his coma, right?"

The nurse nodded once more, a bit nervous. The other woman's voice now had a demanding edge to it.

"Then you can move him to another room." Reiko crossed her over her chest and stared intently at the window, or rather, what was outside it. "This room has a horrible view of the busy road. That's not something anyone should have to stare at upon waking. I want you to move him to the other wing where the park and the sunset can be seen."

The younger woman was about to protest, but she wasn't allowed to.

"_I'm_ still paying for his bill," the singer reminded her. "_I_ want to have a better view to look at. So you _will_ move him or I will withdraw my generosity."

The nurse highly doubted that Reiko would stop paying for the nameless boy unless she ran out of funds, but she decided not to argue and promptly went to inform her superior of the request.

* * *

"The pianist that was assigned to me was aggravating," Reiko announced as she arranged the curtains by the window. "He didn't even review the pieces before coming to the practice." She let out a sigh in annoyance. "Honestly, you'd think some of those considered professional musicians were actually novices. Standards are so low nowadays. How do they expect their music to flourish with little skills and even less motivation?"

The steady beeping of a machine slightly calmed her. It was almost like a metronome.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, facing the prone figure on the bed as she did. "It's just been so stressful for me lately. There are too many performances to prepare for this year and I just can't turn down the invitations for them—for the sake of my career." She shook her head with a weak smile. "Not that my career isn't good. I already have too much money to spend waiting in my bank accounts."

Taking her usual seat by the boy's bedside, she let her gaze settle on him.

"I could care less about money though. My only concern is music." She shrugged and leaned back with another sigh. "Anyway, I don't think I've let you listen to Hikaru's favorite song yet, have I? Perhaps you'd want to hear it?"

She positioned herself on the edge of her seat with her back straightened. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and started singing,

And when she finished and opened her eyes, Reiko caught sight of an azure eye looking straight at her. Her own maroon ones widened.

* * *

"Ohayou," Reiko greeted as she entered the hospital room. She saw the young patient turn to her from reading a rather thick volume. His condition seemed to be better than the previous day already. His left arm was free of bandages though there were scars visible there. Both the oxygen mask and IV were already removed and only the dextrose remained. He was probably still in pain, as evidenced by his stiff torso supported by the pillow behind his back. His neck was still bandaged though, along with his forehead and left eye. She nodded her head, satisfied with her perusal. "You seem to be doing better."

The boy nodded at her with a bit of hesitation. He shut the book he was reading and set it on his lap. His one-eyed stare told her that he was giving her his complete attention. It made her smile.

"That's good then. Being cooped up in a hospital isn't something a child like you should be doing during summer vacation."

She received a slightly confused gaze from the boy in response. She cleared her throat to fill the awkward silence that followed. She should really remember that he couldn't speak yet with the bruising in his throat. And that he had no memories of what summer vacation is. Well, he didn't remember anything at all so it was moot.

"Anyway, did you remember anything today?" she questioned as she sat in her usual seat and set the bag of oranges that she brought on the bedside table. She sighed when he shook his head slowly. Instead of saying anything further about the issue though, she turned her attention to the book he was reading. She had heard from his nurse that it was the book he picked from the hospital's library. Focusing on it, Reiko read the title.

"_The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes_?" She was a bit boggled. The writings on the cover were in English. When she looked through it, she found that even the contents were in the foreign language. And some of the words seemed complicated for her, despite that she was rather fluent in English. "Do you understand what you're reading?"

He blinked his azure eye and tilted his head sideways. After a moment of giving her a puzzled expression, he nodded.

"_All_ of it?"

He gave another nod.

Reiko tried not to let her astonishment appear evident. It was rather difficult for her, considering that she just found out that the amnesiac boy who seemed to be only five or six years old could read a book in a foreign language and understand it completely. She couldn't contain her bafflement though since he also understood her when she spoke in Japanese. Meaning that he was probably fluent in both English and Japanese and excessively intelligent for his age (the book he read was certainly _not_ for children).

She decided to push that amazement to the back of her head for the moment and fixed him a smile.

"Anyway, we probably should come up with a name for you, even temporarily," she said and returned the book on his covered lap. "I don't think I should keep on calling you 'boy' after all."

He seemed to consider the idea. His concentrated expression was somewhat out of place on his young features. In the end, he nodded.

Pleased, she asked, "So, do you have any preferences? Anything you may suggest might just be your real name." She was prepared to list names if he had none in mind.

It wasn't needed though. He pointed a finger towards a name on the book cover. It made her smile.

"'Conan', huh? I guess I should start calling you that, Conan-kun."

He mirrored her expression. It was a good name after all.

Three months later…

"Conan! Are you all right?" Reiko asked in great worry. She had just heard from his homeroom teacher about what had happened. "I heard from Kobayashi-sa—"

"Can I still transfer?" the boy questioned in a whisper. He turned his blue eyes upwards, straight into her maroon ones. "Can you let me go to… whatever level the tests said I should be in?"

The musician kneeled down in front of him. She pushed back the dark stray bangs on his forehead in a slow, calming manner. "But, Conan, you'll be with people much older than you. Are you sure you want that? You have other options too, you know."

He didn't avert his gaze from her frown. "I know, 'Kaa-san. But I want to try first. Maybe it'll be different."

Reiko was somewhat doubtful but she didn't want to deny him. He rarely asked for anything after all, even after she had adopted him. So, after a moment, she sighed in defeat.

"Very well," she agreed. "But you _will_ tell me if anyone bullies you like that stuck-up, know-it-all classmate of yours. Am I clear?"

Conan giggled at her description of the mean student. Nevertheless, he nodded eagerly with a bright smile.

* * *

"Settle down, please!"

As usual, the homeroom teacher was ignored in favor of a certain duo's mop-chase-and-dodge routine. However, unlike the previous times that this occurred, their math teacher had no patience for it at the moment.

"I SAID SETTLE DOWN _NOW!"_

Immediately, everyone turned to her. They always took her as the timid teacher who never got angry.

She cleared her throat and fixed the class with a stern glare. "No one is to interrupt until I am finished speaking, is that clear?" When the students answered with silence and flabbergasted stares, she nodded and turned to the two who were the cause of the commotion. "Kuroba-san, Nakamori-san, please be seated. I have an important announcement to make."

Now she had everyone's attention. Satisfied, she continued, "We will be having a new student in our class today." She held up a hand to maintain the silence that some were ready to break. "It may be more than a bit unusual for this particular person to join here and now, but I assure you that he is meant to be here. You are not to press him for details he does not wish to divulge. And you will all help him adjust. All right, class?"

Before they could reply, one of the students asked, "Is he a foreigner or something, sensei?"

She shook her head. "No, he's not. Even if he were from another country though, I expect you would treat him with as much respect that you'd expect him to give you." She let that sink in their minds before speaking again. "You may come in now, Akiba-san."

The whole class turned to the sliding door simultaneously in anticipation. They all had their own ideas as to what sort of person the new student would be for their teacher to have to say that much before introducing him.

Nobody expected a short—a _very_ short—individual to come through the door. They all stared as the _boy_, only about three feet tall, walked towards their now-smiling teacher. They watched as he gave her a low bow. Their teacher nodded in approval and had him face the class with a gentle push.

"Go on, introduce and tell us a bit about you," she said with an encouraging smile before she turned to the board to write his name on it.

The students watched the boy glance back at the teacher anxiously. After a moment, he cleared his throat and spoke in such a low volume that they all strained to hear what he was saying.

"Um… Good morning," he greeted with another bow, towards them this time, showing them his short and neat dark hair. When he straightened, they saw that he had vivid blue eyes…except his left one seemed dull and a white line ran from his eyebrow to his cheek, passing that eye. "I'm Akiba Conan, seven years old. I, um, I like music, soccer, and mystery novels. Um…"

Seemingly at a loss for words, he settled for bowing again and saying, "Please take care of me!"

Silence reigned as they all stared in wonder. Since when did seven-year-olds join high school classes?

"Ano, sensei, is he really supposed to be here?" one of the students queried uncertainly. "He's too young for high school."

Some caught sight of their new classmate flushing, perhaps in embarrassment, before he bowed his head. Their teacher had apparently taken that as a sign that he was upset. So she turned to the one who asked and gave him the fiercest glare she had ever given.

"I said that he is _meant_ to be here, didn't I? Akiba-san scored enough in his placement test that he should be placed in your level." She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "If any of you have problems with this, you are free to bring it up with the principal after attending a week of detention."

The implication was clear to them. They were still uncertain of the new student but they couldn't really do anything about it…

Suddenly, there was a poof. Then, it started raining confetti. Clapping reverberated across the room. The class turned towards the one who clearly made that all happen.

"This is great!" the messy-haired brunette exclaimed with a gleeful expression on his features. "We got a prodigious student now!" He abruptly disappeared behind a puff of smoke and reappeared with another bout of smoke in front of Akiba. He appeared in a squatting position, bringing himself to the same level as the boy. He grinned at his startled expression and brought up his hand to a two-fingered salute. "Kuroba Kaito, magician, at your service! Nice to meet you!"

Kaito almost didn't hear the boy when he breathed out, "Fast movement…" Before he could ask, Akiba gave him his own tentative smile. "Nice to meet you too." It made the older male's grin widen.

Their teacher shook her head in slight exasperation. "Anyway, Akiba-san, you'll be sitting beside Kuroba-san, to his left. If you have any problems or queries, I'm sure he can assist you. Just pay attention to class for now, all right? Kuroba-san, please lead him to his new seat. Thank you. Now, you can all thank your new classmate for the postponing of today's quiz. For now, we'll have a recap before moving onto our next lesson. Please turn to page forty-two of your textbook. The other day, we started on the trigonometric functions…"

_To be continued…

* * *

_

_It wasn't as long as I wanted it to be. But I didn't want to reveal everything yet so…yeah XD That and I tried to cut down the wordiness…NaNoWriMo makes you used to keeping things long o.O And I have no idea what high school students in Japan study. I only based it on what we studied here._

_I already have much planned out but I'm interested in hearing any ideas you might have. You can suggest cases or heist notes (goodness knows I need those XD). If you simply want to comment if the chapter was good or bad, I'll be very pleased to receive reviews. Constructive criticism always helps _83

Hope you enjoyed reading! See you soon (I hope) :3

_Posted on April 15, 2010_

_Edited chapter posted on May 21, 2010, beta by __**nataeiy1.**_


	2. First Movement: First System

_Hah. I'm writing the author's notes at our relatives' house. And I'm late by a day. Meh._

_Anywho, YOU GUYS ARE SO AMAZING! I mean, I was able to check my mail the day after I posted this and I was astounded by the number of reviews, alerts and favorites that came within 24 hours. It made me even more eager to write because you were all so nice. I was so touched!_

_Thanks to all who reviewed! Replies to those who had questions are at found after the chapter._

_**Dedication:**__ This chapter is especially dedicated to my dear friend, Shadow's Rage, who gave me another reason to update. Free Rockband, when, plox? Are we doing it at Blue Skies again? 8D ILU! =3_

_**Disclaimer:**__ All characters and other elements of Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belong to Gosho Aoyama. Isn't it obvious?

* * *

_

**Opus 1: Amazing Grace  
**_By Milky Étoile_  
Chapter Two: First Movement

When break time finally came, as one would expect of a class curious about their newest student, everyone turned to Akiba Conan.

The poor seven-year-old bristled at the sudden intensifying of the feeling of stares on him. He probably knew he'd been the center of attention since he entered the classroom. It was obvious that almost all of his new classmates weren't concentrating on the lessons they received from their frazzled teachers.

He found that he didn't like that sort of attention. He preferred the type he got when he performed in front of an audience, even though he got nervous then too. At least the audience couldn't ask him any questions like he was sure his new classmates would.

So, only a moment after the bell rung, he was out of the classroom.

Kuroba Kaito blinked. One moment, Akiba was fixing his notebooks. The next, he was gone. It was rather too fast for him, especially with his musings concerning the new student.

"…hoping to ask him…"

The self-proclaimed magician strained his ears to hear what some of his classmates were saying.

"Is he really supposed to be here?"

"He didn't seem to have any problems following the lessons."

"Maybe he's just acting?"

"Or he could be suffering from dwarfism or something."

"He was cute, don't you think?"

"I wonder what was with that scar over his eye."

"He must have gotten into some accident."

"It looked too straight to be an accidental cut."

"How do _you_ know that?"

"—to!"

Kaito whipped his head to his right, where his childhood friend, Aoko, was glaring at him with her arms on her hips.

"I've been trying to get your attention for the past couple of minutes!" she exclaimed at him, her ire apparent. "Are you going to get lunch or not?"

He pondered on what to do for a moment, aware that making her wait further would make her more furious. Figuring he could deal with her anger at any other time, he stood up and gave her a sheepish grin.

"Sorry, Aoko," he apologized rather half-heartedly. "I just remembered something I had to do. Why don't you go ahead and eat? I'm not hungry anyway."

His prompt escape left Aoko muttering, "That annoying idiot… When I get him, I'm going to _kill_ him."

* * *

Kaito wondered how a new student would be hard to find in a place that should still be unfamiliar to him. He supposed it might have something to do with Akiba's height. It would be difficult to spot someone three feet high, in the midst of a crowd of five- to six-footers.

He let out a sigh. Perhaps he would have better luck by looking around from the school's rooftop, but he greatly doubted it.

A few minutes later found him staring at the sleeping form of the very person he had been looking for. The boy was lying on the rooftop floor with an arm covering his face. He seemed rather comfortable, considering that the glare of the sun was on him and that the floor beneath him was rough.

Kaito debated on disturbing his new classmate's peaceful slumber. The decision was taken out of his hands when the boy stirred. He watched with an amused grin when he started stretching with a yawn. He was suddenly reminded of a cat. More of a kitten, actually, since he was so short.

His grin widened a bit when Akiba visibly tensed and slowly turned around to face him. He held up a hand and greeted, "Yo, Akiba-kun! Fancy seeing you here." The boy was about to stand but he shook his head. "No need to stand up for my sake! It's much more comfortable to sit." He plopped down beside him.

Akiba seemed to be quite uncertain about him. "Um… Konnichiwa, Kuroba-senpai," he ventured shyly. He blinked in wonder when the other shook his head and let out a series of 'tsk's.

"We're in the same class, aren't we? It wouldn't be right for you to call me 'senpai' when I'm not really your upperclassman," Kaito reasoned with his arms across his chest.

The boy frowned slightly. Obviously, he thought it disrespectful. Nonetheless, he corrected himself by saying, "It's good to see you here, Kuroba-san."

Kaito still thought that was too polite for his tastes. He supposed he'd have to do with it until he somehow manages to convince Akiba to change his form of address.

In response to the questioning look he received from the new student, he mimicked his previous position by lying on the ground. It was pleasantly warm.

A moment of silence passed between them. Akiba seemed to relax marginally as a breeze swept past them. Kaito felt that he had to do something about the calmness though.

So, he took out a few colorful balls and started juggling them while still lying on the floor. The corners of his lips tugged upwards when he felt Akiba's stare on him. He then added other random trinkets into his juggling and replaced a couple of the balls with smoke bombs. After a few seconds of this, he sat up without breaking his routine. He returned half of the items to wherever they where before. He continued juggling with only his right hand while his left reached for a coin. Soon, the coin was the only thing visible. He held it before the boy's eyes with a wide grin. He felt like doing one of the basic tricks for some odd reason.

"Now you see it…" His hands moved in a flurry of movements. Then, as quick as he started, he held his empty hands wide before Akiba. "Now you don't!" He was about to repeat the motions, planning to retrieve the missing coin from 'nowhere', when the other suddenly halted him.

"Wait." Akiba took Kaito's left hand lower, where he could see the back of the hand. His eyes narrowed at the 'missing' coin balancing precariously by the base of his index and middle fingers. "I knew it."

Normally, Kaito would have prevented anyone from discovering any of his tricks. However, he was rather thrown off by the sudden somewhat out-of-place seriousness on his new classmate's features, the equally unexpected movement, and the triumphant grin he got.

So, he only managed to keep on his poker face and watched as Akiba tried to imitate his previous motions and managed to make the very same coin 'disappear' only to drop to the floor not long after.

"Oops," Akiba muttered and peeked up at him with a somewhat sheepish expression.

Kaito realized that he couldn't do anything else but let out a laugh.

* * *

It took Akiba about three more tries before the more experienced magician declared that he could do the trick decently. And, after being shown three more coin tricks, he managed to do them just as well after practicing a few times.

"You seem to have some knack for this, Akiba-kun!" Kaito exclaimed after the boy had seemingly pulled the coin out of nowhere. With a wide grin, he decided to go with his sudden idea. "How about you become my apprentice?"

At his proposal, the other dropped the coin as his hands froze in surprise. "What?" he let out with a bewildered look.

It amused Kaito greatly to astound people. "You know, become my pupil? I'll teach you the tricks of my trade and you'll be an expert magician in no time since _I'll_ be your teacher! You'll be able to do this," a red rose popped into his right hand, "and this," he covered the rose with his other hand and a white dove hovered above his hands after the puff of smoke that came with it dispersed, "and this!" the dove disappeared behind another white puff of smoke and red rose petals rained above the younger male.

Kaito wondered if the magic he did was too simple to convince the boy because he only seemed to have a uncertain air on him.

"Um…" Akiba peered up at him without bothering to brush off the petals that fell on his head. "Are you sure you'd want _me_ to be your apprentice?"

"Well, of course! An accomplished magician should pass on his trade to someone so his art wouldn't vanish like his tricks." Never mind that he was probably only seemed to be an accomplished magician during his nighttime job. "You have the potential too. Why not?"

Akiba turned his head away and mumbled something unintelligible.

"Eh?"

"…is damaged." The boy cleared his throat nervously. "I'm half blind," he revealed hesitantly. "And I'm suffering from retrograde amnesia. And I'm only seven. Why should you pick me?"

Kaito certainly didn't expect all of that. He didn't even know what retrograde amnesia was. But…

"Why shouldn't I?" he returned the query. "Magic can be performed by any person as long as they put their effort into it. Besides, I couldn't even tell you were half blind with the way you moved. And retrograde amnesia doesn't have anything to do with tricks. Besides, I was only four when I started learning from my dad."

Akiba wasn't easily convinced. Remembering the boy's intent expression previously, at each time that he figured out how the tricks worked, he tried another approach.

"How about this…" He put a hand to his chin in a show of thinking deeply. "Let's make it a contest between us. I'll do tricks in front of you and you'll try to copy them. If you come across one that you can't do, then I win and you'd let me teach you. If you manage to copy five consecutively out of the many I'll do in class this week until the next, then you win and I won't bother you about it anymore. You'll have to perform your desired trick in twenty-four hours after my performance of it. So, are you up to it?" He was hoping that the new student was as competitive as he guessed, even when he was obviously at a disadvantage.

He presumed correctly.

"Okay, it's a deal."

There was a challenging glint in the younger male's seeing right eye. It made Kaito grin in anticipation. Perhaps it would be an enjoyable game after all.

"Let's shake on it then, Conan-kun!" He cheerfully held out his hand.

Akiba, or rather, Conan, as he was suddenly addressed as, blinked at the abrupt change in the form of address. He didn't comment on it and, rather, stared warily at the proffered hand. After a moment, he took it.

A puff of smoke exploded from their joined hands.

Kaito's grin morphed into a smirk. He didn't mention that some of the tricks were to be done on him.

Well, it was probably a given. He thought so anyway.

* * *

The rest of the day went by smoothly. Well, as smooth as it could go with a prankster in the class, the mop-wielding childhood friend of the said prankster and a new student that made everyone gawk just because of his age.

The class could deal with the first two, after having been with them for years, even only as schoolmates. But it seemed to them that the third brought about interesting incidents concerning the first.

So, undoubtedly, everyone was sitting in anxiousness as Kuroba Kaito stared at Akiba Conan with a dejected pout, looking very much like the shorter male had taken away his favorite toy. The magician hadn't pulled a trick for _two_ straight periods and that was something he _never_ did. But now, he seemed to be preoccupied with his staring contest. And they couldn't really tell if he was winning the pointless thing because it was only one-sided.

Conan didn't give any outward indication that he noticed or cared about what his assigned seatmate was doing. In fact, he appeared to be more at ease now compared to earlier as he followed their current teacher's lesson.

Then, something that the whole class had been anticipating since he was introduced finally came.

"Akiba-san, since all your classmates seem to be preoccupied," their chemistry teacher, Shirota-sensei, started as he pushed back his round spectacles with a displeased expression, "why don't you give us the solution for problem number 43 on page one hundred and fifty-four on the board? Please show it completely."

The class waited with bated breath as the boy hesitantly set down his pen, turned to the said page and looked for the problem. After a few seconds, he made his way to the blackboard. Their teacher wordlessly offered the chair for him to step on as he came. They watched as he climbed up, took a chalk and started writing in an incredibly neat handwriting.

It took him two minutes. Apparently, the problem was a long one that required solving a lot of other things before getting the actual answer. They were all stunned at the board. It seemed that all the parts of it that Conan could reach were filled with chemical equations and solutions. And they could see clearly how it progressed from the beginning to the boxed final answer.

Their teacher looked quite astonished but he managed to recover when the new student turned to him expectantly. He gave a nod. "Your answer is correct. And you didn't even need to refer to the problem, a periodic table or a calculator. And your solution is outstanding. Considering that the titration problem involved a diprotic acid… Well, have you answered this problem beforehand?"

Looking embarrassed yet somewhat pleased, Conan shook his head. "No, sensei. I only came across a similar problem in a different book."

Shirota-sensei appeared to be satisfied. "I see now that you are a diligent student, unlike _some_ people here." He narrowed his eyes at the class in general. They were cowed as he was considered a _very_ strict teacher. "You may go back to your seat now and continue taking notes. You have full points for today's recitation."

The class ogled. He _never_ gave full points. Or compliments for that matter. Shirota-sensei seemed to _really_ like Akiba Conan.

"Well?" his deep booming voice brought them out of their initial shock. "What are you all waiting for? Copy the solution on the board! This is how you are supposed to be solving an acid-base titration problem, perhaps by the next two weeks. You start by writing out the equation involved in the standardization step. Now, in the problem, the primary standard used is potassium hydrogen phthalate, commonly referred to as KHP…"

The class simultaneously scrambled to follow their teacher. They were quite sure they weren't supposed to discuss the topic until the next _month_… Shirota-sensei was probably curious about the new student too.

* * *

"This is Nakamori Aoko, by the way," Kaito found himself introducing his friend to the new student after the last bell had rung to signal the end of the school day. As he now wanted Conan to stay in their class, especially when he'd proven to everyone that he _was_ meant to be in their level, Kaito thought it his duty to encourage the seven-year-old to make friends. "She's a very nosy person though—_ow_!" He nursed his abused head with a mock glower.

Aoko momentarily fixed the magician a glare before turning towards the short boy with a bright smile. "Nice to meet you, Akiba-kun. You can just call me Aoko."

Conan, still in his seat and not just a bit amused, beamed up at her. "Please call me Conan then. It's a pleasure to meet you."

This made her grin widen. "If you'd need any help at all, Conan-kun, you can ask any time. I would offer to assist you with lessons, but it seems you're capable enough with those."

He bowed his head a bit in embarrassment. "Um… I'm not so sure about that…"

Kaito, seemingly recovered, patted his head lightly, startling him. "She's right! Though we'd still bug you with our notes so at least you'd know where we are in the other subjects. Right, guys?"

It was only then that Conan noticed that a lot of his new classmates were crowding his seat.

"Yeah! I can photocopy my notes later so—"

"Don't offer your notes when your handwriting's horrible!"

"Shut up, you—"

"Some of the teachers gave handouts through email and we can print them out—"

"Hey, how did you know the answer to that problem in chem? That was—"

"You can come with us for our weekly group study session—"

"I can be your lab partner if you—"

"Oi, you just want someone smart to save your grade—"

"I'm Momoi Keiko but you can just call me Keiko-chan!"

"Your English was awesome earlier!"

"**Don't speak all at the same time!**"

Everyone stopped at Aoko's demand. They waited apprehensively as she opened her mouth to speak but Kaito cut her off.

"How about you all introduce yourselves first, one by one?" he suggested with his usual grin.

Surprisingly, they all agreed. Kaito's smile broadened the grateful expression that Conan momentarily gave him. It was almost enough for him to forget how fast the boy had gotten rid of the white hair dye. Honestly, no one else had been able to do that in the span of thirty minutes except for himself. He still wondered how that had happened. Maybe Conan used some chemical. That dye was waterproof. Perhaps it had something to do with that brief exchange between Conan and Shirota-sensei after chemistry class?

None of them noticed a red-haired female with a sharp gaze pursing her lips in annoyance.

* * *

"KUROBA KAITO!"

The person called and everyone else in the vicinity visibly flinched at the loud volume. This was probably the fifth time in the same week that this sort of scene occurred in their classroom. At least it was during break this time.

"Yes, Aoko?" Kaito asked amiably with his usual smile when his childhood friend reached his seat. He turned a page of the newspaper he was reading nonchalantly. Those were certainly entertaining articles on Kaitou KID. But… How could those people ever think he was a vampire? He barely resisted the urge to snicker.

The shorthaired female seemed more liable to combustion now. Everyone else nearby edged away from them when she slammed her hand on his desk. "You've been on your prank spree more fervently for three days now. I haven't done much about it 'cause I _know_ you'd be worse if I tried to stop you—"

"But you're _still_ going to try to stop me, aren't you?"

"_You've gone too far by including Conan-kun in your silly games!"_ She promptly tore the newspaper he was reading into pieces. "He's only new here yet you seem to be trying to drive him out! If you have a problem with him being younger yet more intelligent than you—"

"He's another classmate so he has to be treated like our other classmates." Kaito shrugged. "'Sides, it's inevitable. Too many people like to play practical jokes in this school."

"But—"

"Excuse me, Aoko-san."

Everyone, not only the pair, turned to the source of the voice, only to look down and see Akiba Conan in a long brown Inverness cape and an unusual deerstalker hat. They stared when he started picking up the torn pieces of the newspaper from the floor. He reached for the pieces on the desk. He smiled slightly when Kaito pushed the remaining ones towards him and he crumpled the pieces together between his hands and fit them there.

He tapped his closed left fist with his right index finger three times while muttering, "One, two, three."

To everyone's surprise, the newspaper sprung out from his hands, wide open and whole. It appeared to be as it was before Aoko had torn it apart.

The short boy offered the newspaper to Kaito with a wide smile. "Here you go, Kaito-san, in exchange for this nice costume you gave me. Though I wish you'd saved it for Halloween."

Kaito took the newspaper with an equally large grin. "I seemed to have messed up my calendar. Sorry, Conan-kun. I should be more careful next time. Thanks for fixing this too. Aoko seems to have something against the newspapers I read."

Conan turned his gaze towards her with a curious expression. "But Nakamori-keibu is featured on those quite a lot of times. He seems to be almost as famous as Kaitou KID because of it." He had to back away when Aoko suddenly slammed her palm on Kaito's desk, leaving a slight dent on it.

"KID is an idiot!" she exclaimed ferociously before stomping away.

Kaito, along with almost everyone else in the vicinity, sighed in relief. Conan followed Aoko's movement with a frown until she was out of sight.

_To be continued…

* * *

_

_I was told that it was okay to leave the rest for the next chapter. Maybe you should blame my 'imouto'? XD_

_Please note that I got the simple coin trick from a choirmate. He did it for a much younger choirmate. The kid kept on bugging him to teach him that XDDDD_

_Holeh, the movie behind me is distracting me. I think it's Dr. Dolittle. I love that movie. Crap. Distracting! Gah!_

_Okay, I'll move onto the review replies before I turn my back completely on the computer._

_**Shadow's Rage**__, Rockband, okay? And you still need to give me a copy of that paper you wrote. Might give me more ideas XD __**Alias**__, thank you. I hope you're still reading. Same goes for __**(^_^)**__ :D_

_**Aniki-xvi,**__ here it is! I'm flattered that you like it that much. I hope you still do with this chapter! And you seem to know who Akiba is. Can you tell? __**anonymousgirl028**__, continuation for you!_

_**splishims**__, really? I didn't really think much of it. I just didn't want to put in too much about it, at least in the previous chapter. Yeah, Gin really seems sadistic to me so I thought it was quite possible. Thank you. I hope you come to love it even more? :3_

_**RAGA**__, I've read those kinds of stories. They're all good...but I wanted to write something like this. And...you hit the nail on the head XD Performances? What sorts of performances are you looking forward to? I hope my grammar's still up to par in this chapter. And the plot...there are a lot more things that'll happen._

_**Mysteryfan17**__, I may just use that idea. Thank you very much, I appreciate it. It was good one, and I think I can work it in. Credit goes to you if I do! Thanks again, you're great! __**topaz-tantei**__, thanks much! Update for you!_

_**Waterdog**__, yeah, I've been told it was an unusual idea. Like what I've done for him in high school so far? __**Aleathil Elendil**__, nyaha, is it still believable? Thanks! Thanks to you too, __**eyeinthesky**__. __**Shingo-sama**__, read on please and thanks! __**GoddessSumizofVenus**__, I kinda doubt they'd do this in the manga...though it would be interesting if they did XD __**MsBendrezine**__, yeah. Let's see if I can surprise you with other things that'll happen in consequence to this 8D_

_I love you guys, even those who don't review but are reading (alerts are astonishing!). Thank you. You're inspiring me even more. I love this story so much already so you don't have to worry about me not updating. I just hope you don't tire of reviewing!_

_So, please review! You light up my day and urge me to write even more, even when I'm supposed to be studying XD Yeah, I have an exam next week so I might only be able to post the next chapter after the next weekend. I'm sorry that it'll be late but I really don't have the time to go online much, even when it's supposed to be summer. I hope you still look forward to it though._

_Suggestions are still very welcome. Aside from heist notes and cases, I'm now accepting suggestions for magic tricks, pranks, and just any ideas really. Will be much appreciated! Thanks!_

_Take care for now!_

_Posted on April 24, 2010_

_Edited chapter posted on May 21, 2010, beta by __**nataeiy1**_.


	3. First Movement: Second System

_I'm late! Uberly late! And I'm failing at life! Whee~ *flails*_

_I wrote this while on high with Tegomass. I just DL-ed their new mini-album, Tegomass no Ai. I'm such a fangirl. Ah, can't help it though. They're just so cute! And there are both happily sweet and somewhat melancholic songs! Listening to the whole thing made me smile, cry, and laugh in the same hour. Drat. I even got the latest single of NewS. And Younha's too. I'm getting crazier. Why must they sing stuff that includes food? Pasta, really…gyah...and _Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge _live action…Tegonyan~ =3_

_Ehm. I shouldn't dawdle. Anywho, have I told you, readers, how much I love you? You're all urging me to continue and you make me want to, in spite of all the things I have to do (what, with classes and all). I hope you continue to encourage me. I personally don't want to stop writing this but I get into weird moods sometimes that make me want to ignore everything. So, if you don't get weekly updates, feel free to complain. Bug me even XD_

_As it is, I'm doing my best to apply all I've learned from joining NaNoWriMo into my writing (including how to blend the perfect mug of coffee that'll keep me awake and writing when I'm supposed to be asleep 8D). I hope you enjoy the fruits of my labor! (fruits...want strawberries...*drools*)_

_I think someone mentioned how Akiba Reiko was a good character of mine. Unfortunately, I will have to admit that she is also not mine. As anonymousgirl028 mentioned (congratulations!), she was from the twelfth movie of DC, _"Full Score of Fear"_. She was the main focus there, actually. I had decided to use her character after that scene where she and Conan were walking in the forest and some random kids passed by and mistook them for mother and son :P However, I _did_ change her place of residence…_

_Just thought I'd clear that up. Please read my author's notes after the chapter for anonymous review replies and other information._

_Oh! And 'gakuran' is the male uniform that is prevalent in Japanese middle and high schools. It's usually black, as in Ekoda High, and has a high collar. _

_The buttons may or may not have the school emblem on them. Some schools use other colors like blue instead of black. For summer, if I'm not mistaken, they have button-up shirts instead._

_Also, 'gaki' means 'brat' or 'kid' said in a condescending manner (I think). 'Okaa-san' is 'mother'. Must I discuss honorifics too? o.O_

**Warning:** Spoilers for both anime and manga of MK. I'm mixing the elements from both, if you don't mind. Makes things work out just a wee bit better…*grins* And, seriously, KID's cooler in DC than in MK. Anyone of the same opinion? XD

**Disclaimer:** All elements and characters (except for Shirota-sensei) of Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belong to Gosho Aoyama. Now, stop pestering me and just go on and read the chapter. Don't forget to watch the anime version of MK too! 83

* * *

**Opus 1: Amazing Grace  
**_By Milky Étoile  
_Chapter Three: Second Movement

Friday came around without much incident.

No one could say the same for the previous days though.

Kaito couldn't be stopped in his sudden pranking spree. Not even Aoko, with her mighty mop and incredible speed and strength, could prevent him from showering everyone with confetti, smoke bombs and other random items.

He even made a humongous pink inflatable octopus float around the school grounds, in a repeat of something he'd done a long time ago. He didn't ride it like he did before, nor did he give any indication that he was the one who made it appear. He had only been sitting in his seat, looking bored out of his mind, when the pink thing started growing in size outside the building. It started roaming the grounds after it grew as tall as the building. Kaito seemed to perk up at the sight of it but he denied having anything to do with it when he was asked. He did comment that the octopus looked content to be left floating around without water. He also wanted to congratulate whoever did it so he filled the room with confetti. Again.

Nobody believed him, naturally. But since no one could prove that he was the one at fault, he wasn't punished for it.

He was given detention for turning Shirota-sensei's hair into a rainbow-colored Afro though. And for turning everyone's clothes inside out (much to their great embarrassment, especially the females'). And for making hamsters run around the classroom after pulling them out of Aoko's bag. For the rabbits he pulled out _before_ the hamsters too. And for inflating balloons in the middle of English class and promptly shaping them into the characters of the story they had been reading (it was a fable too). And for disappearing in a blanket of cards before Math class could end…

Fortunately for him, none of the teachers wished to deal with him any longer than they had to. So, in the end, all of his detentions were cancelled. They all knew that any disciplinary acts wouldn't dissuade him at all from doing as he pleased. In fact, they were aware that if they did anything to deter him, he'd only double his efforts.

So, everyone was relieved when Friday rolled in. It was the last day for the week that they had to deal with their overly hyper classmate.

However, as the day progressed, they became increasingly aggravated.

It was because, unlike in the past days, Kuroba Kaito hadn't pulled a single prank.

Oh, he still peeked under Aoko's skirt to start their daily mop-chasing routine. But he didn't pull any tricks to escape and only nimbly dodged her attempts at nailing him with the cleaning utensil. And he didn't do anything else after the bell signaling the start of class sounded.

In fact, at the moment, more than halfway through their last class, he was still sitting in his seat with his textbook and notebook in front of him. He appeared to be diligently copying the equations that Shirota-sensei was writing on the board. The chemistry teacher was unfazed by the 'good student vibes' that the usually wayward student was currently oozing with.

The same couldn't be said for their previous teachers though. Half of them had been too freaked out by Kaito's behavior that they abandoned class altogether.

Everyone was aware of how he behaved when he was planning something really big. And none of them were looking forward to the time that big thing, whatever it was, came.

"That will be all for today, class," Shirota-sensei announced just a minute before the bell was to ring. That, being unusual in itself—for he never dismissed class before the assigned time—set the class even more on the edge. Was he actually affected by Kaito's conduct too? "Be sure to do the homework I assigned for next week as we will be having a test in our next meeting."

That, apparently, was the signal for a huge puff of smoke to appear around Kaito. It wasn't of the usual white or pink color, but rather, it was blue. The whole class watched with bated breath and waited for the smoke (which didn't reach past Kaito's seat, weirdly enough) to disperse.

They were flabbergasted when Kaito appeared to be sitting, as he was earlier, looking somewhat dazed. That wasn't what surprised them. It was the fact that he was wearing a white outfit, similar to that of a famous thief's. But it was noticeable that the tuxedo was worn on him with the inside out. And the top hat was balancing precariously, upside down, atop his _multi-colored_ hair. His messy hair had streaks of five different colors—green, blue, orange, red, and blinding neon yellow.

They were further shocked when a brown rabbit climbed and perched upon the rim of the hat. It sniffed around for a moment before jumping down, bringing the hat with it. It landed on Kaito's desk and was covered by the hat. The hat wiggled left and right before it toppled over to reveal _two_ identical _white_ rabbits that promptly launched themselves at the owner of the desk.

Kaito let out an undignified and uncharacteristic squeak and dodged, knocking himself off his own chair in the process. However, the rabbits disappeared in a huge puff of smoke and white confetti rained upon him instead as he sat on the floor.

His classmates couldn't do much but laugh at his expense. Regardless of whether he had been the one to do that to himself or not, the sight of him looking flustered and at the receiving end of the pranks he had done previously was hilarious for them.

Their mirth was paused when they saw Conan get off his seat and walk towards Kaito. They watched him pull the cape from the older male and cover himself with it with a grin.

Suddenly, smoke filled the whole room. After a bout of coughing and waving around to diffuse the smoke, they examined themselves to see if they had been pranked in any way. When they were satisfied that they hadn't been, they turned to see that their newest classmate was nowhere to be seen and Kaito was still in the same position. The white cape was on the floor in front of him.

The unexpected chuckling of their science teacher startled them. They stared in disbelief at their usually uptight instructor. They couldn't say anything when he knocked on the board three times. They watched the board seemed to _peel off._ And, beneath the peeled off writings, written in huge bold characters were only two words.

"_I win."_

No one was sure what to make of that.

Except Kaito. He threw his head back and laughed. And the bell signaling the end of the day rang.

* * *

Aoko couldn't do much when Kaito pulled his own disappearing act, for the second time this week, after their dismissal. She could only join her other classmates in their discussions concerning the latest prank.

It was apparent that Kaito had not been the one to put that together. He wasn't above making his audience laugh at his own expense but Shirota-sensei's involvement dissuaded them of the whole act being his idea. Their science teacher was not fond of Kaito, or anyone else, for that matter.

The idea that Shirota-sensei could have been the one behind everything was preposterous. They dismissed that as soon as it was suggested.

However, there was one student who could have convinced him to take part in giving Kaito a taste of his own medicine. Akiba Conan was obviously the only student Shirota-sensei favored. The seven-year-old's earlier actions, and prompt and mysterious departure further convinced them that it was the case.

They didn't take him to be the pranking type though. Throughout the week, he had been nothing but pleasant towards them. He accepted the assistance they offered gratefully and he declined in a polite manner when he deemed their help unnecessary. He dutifully followed the lessons and recited at least once for each subject. The teachers stopped testing his intelligence by the second day of his attendance. Some even praised him for getting high, if not perfect, marks in written work.

In less than a week, he was declared the picture of a model student. His gakuran was never out of place, as was his dark brown hair. And none of them could bring themselves to be resentful of him for being the class's new goody-two-shoes, partly because of his age and cute (in the girls' opinion) appearance and partly due to his kind attitude towards all of them. Even Kaito, for all his tricks, wasn't spared from his nice demeanor.

This brought their attention to the fact that Kaito seemed to be teaching Conan his tricks. They recalled how he had miraculously put together the newspaper that Aoko had torn to pieces. Kaito had done the same thing the previous day. Aoko also remembered how the boy offered her a white rose after failing to catch Kaito in their mop-chase routine the other day, 'to cheer her up' as he reasoned. It was in the same manner that Kaito always did, and, if she hadn't known better, she would've thought she was brought back in time to the first time that she met her best friend.

They wondered if the two were somehow meeting up outside school without their knowledge. It made a few of them suggest that they follow either one of them to find out if that were the case.

Aoko immediately discouraged the idea, impressing upon them the importance of privacy. Which, some thought to be somewhat hypocritical since she wasn't above gossiping. No one said this out loud due to survival instincts though. She was a force to reckon with.

That was the end of their discussion concerning Kuroba Kaito and Akiba Conan for the day. Their topic moved onto other people in the school…

It wasn't long before Aoko found herself walking alone towards her home. She wasn't very far and she distracted herself from thinking about their new classmate by wondering about what to cook for dinner.

When she reached her street though, she was brought out of her musings by the sight of a taxi outside the house beside hers. She remembered that Shiyuki-san, the kind old woman who lived two houses from theirs, mentioned they were supposed to have a new neighbor today.

Curiosity made her stop in front of the rather large house. It had three floors, the front twice as wide as her house's. It almost seemed out of place in the rather normal neighborhood. The vines that were creeping from behind the wall that separated the lot from the street didn't help the peculiar feel of the whole place. She had always avoided looking towards it due to that…

"…should have declined that concert."

Aoko readied a pleasant expression after realizing that whoever spoke, an irritated woman, it seemed, was coming out from the large house.

"You love singing too much to do that though," a younger voice, perhaps a boy's, commented. It was a strangely familiar voice.

"Must you point out the obvious? You're being a horrible son to your poor, troubled mother."

"Would you prefer if I called up the organizer and asked him to find another soprano to work with, Okaa-san?"

Aoko was surprised when two people finally provided the faces to the voices as they walked past the iron gates.

The female who had spoken was one taller than her with a slim build, apparent despite the blue jacket she was wearing over a white turtleneck shirt. She also wore white slacks and a black duffel bag was hanging from her right shoulder. Her face was partially hidden behind the baseball cap she was wearing as she looked down towards her companion.

"Conan-kun?"

Her query brought their attention to her immediately. Both looked rather surprised. The youngest of them easily recovered though.

"Aoko-san!" he greeted with a polite smile. Aoko noted that he was still wearing his gakuran and a huge rucksack that was almost as large as himself was on his back. "It's good to see you!" He reached up to tug at the hand of the woman beside him. "Okaa-san, this is Nakamori Aoko-san, one of my classmates. She's been very nice to me. Aoko-san, this is my mother—"

"Akiba Reiko," the fair woman introduced herself with a cordial nod. Aoko couldn't help but think of how attractive the lady was, despite that her expression beneath the cap was anything but pleasant. Her long dark hair was of the same shade as Conan's, and her eyes were an unusual maroon though.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Akiba-san," Aoko greeted with a polite bow. She was unsure of what else to say, especially with the woman's piercing gaze on her, so she asked, "You'll be living here now?" She gestured towards the huge residence.

"Of course," Reiko said in a tone that suggested that she thought the teen to be an idiot. Aoko felt somewhat cowed by her oppressive demeanor but she ignored it in favor of mulling over the situation.

Conan didn't seem pleased by his mother's attitude though. He fixed her with a glare and spoke, "Okaa-san, I'm going to call your sensei." His boyish tone carried a threatening tinged to it.

Reiko pulled her left hand out of the boy's grip and put her arms across her chest with a harrumph. Nonetheless, she uttered, "We only moved in today."

"Please excuse 'Kaa-san, Aoko-san." Conan's smile was apologetic. "She's just a bit frustrated that we won't be able to completely move in yet since she has work to do."

Aoko was naturally curious, especially since this was about her new neighbors. And one of them was a new classmate too. "Work? Do you have to go somewhere else?" Remembering her manners though, she cheerfully offered, "If you need any help with moving in, don't hesitate to ask. You're going to be our new neighbor after all. I live just next door, see." She pointed to her own house.

The other woman rolled her eyes and muttered, "Great, a nosy neighbor."

"'Kaa-san!" Conan chided his mother, which Aoko found odd. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around, with the parent scolding the child? "Sorry again, Aoko-san. Yes, she has to go to Paris, actually. And, we'd appreciate your help very much, but we don't want to be a bother—"

The teen shook her head, both in reply to him and in ignorance of his mother's sour attitude. "You're not a bother at all! We're going to be neighbors so we should help each other, right? Besides, what are friends for?"

Conan's smile widened just a bit. "You're a great friend, Aoko-san."

Before she could say anything in reply, Reiko cleared her throat. "We should get going, Conan. I'm going to miss my flight if I don't bring you to Sensei in time."

Aoko frowned. "Pardon me for asking, but how long will you be away, Akiba-san?"

Reiko probably would have snapped at her if Conan hadn't given her a reproaching look. "A week," she ground out in an even tone.

"And Conan-kun's not coming with you?" She couldn't imagine how a child would be fine with not being with his mother for a long time. She was reminded of how she didn't like being separated from her mom when she was alive.

"I'll be staying at the house of 'Kaa-san's former teacher," Conan explained.

His mother reached down to put a hand on his head. "You could come with me, you know. You're more sensible to deal with than tone-deaf idiots."

"I have to go to school, 'Kaa-san." He took the offending hand off his head and clutched it. "And your standards are just too high. Not everyone has perfect pitch."

Reiko let out a derisive snort. "You don't _need_ to go to school. Your level—"

"'_Kaa-san!"_

"Whatever. It'll be troublesome for you to go from Sensei's house to school."

Though Aoko thought it was rather rude to interrupt their unusual interaction as mother and son, she felt the need to speak. "If you'd want, you can stay over my house for the week." She bristled when both turned snapped their attention towards her once more. She stood her ground though and didn't pull back her offer. "I'm sure my dad wouldn't mind. And I could help you get settled too."

Conan looked dubious. Reiko, oddly enough, was the one who seemed to seriously consider it. It didn't even take her long to give her response.

"All right," she agreed, to the surprise of the other two. "If Conan's okay with it, he can stay over. I suppose we'd need to discuss a fee for babysitting?"

The boy turned a nice shade of red that proclaimed his embarrassment. "'Kaa-san! I don't _need_ to be babysat!"

Aoko had to control herself from giggling. "It won't be babysitting, Akiba-san, so there's no need for that. I'll be happy to have a friend over."

Reiko shrugged and looked over her son. "Make sure you earn your keep then, _gaki_."

Before Aoko could claim that he didn't need to, Conan fixed his mother a stern look. "Make sure you don't stress out the event manager, 'Kaa-san. Go easy on the other musicians and don't forget to eat breakfast before you practice." His expression softened slightly. "Take care and have fun. _L'art pour l'art. _Right?"

The woman only ruffled his hair in response and waved as she opened the taxi's door. She got in and closed it without another word. Soon, the vehicle moved and was out of their sight.

Conan let out a sigh and turned to Aoko. "Are you sure it'll be all right for me to impose? I know how to get to Sensei's house if it's not."

She shook her head vehemently. "It's fine, really. I wouldn't have offered if it wasn't. I meant what I said earlier too." She gave him a bright grin. "How about we get over to my house so I can start making dinner instead? You should lock up your gate first though. We wouldn't want to encourage burglars." She gestured to the still-open iron gates behind him.

He seemed to consider something for a moment before looking up at her uncertainly. "Can I get some things from inside first? I have enough clothes in my bag here but 'Kaa-san wouldn't let me bring a couple of books. You can come in if you want to. I can't offer anything but tea, if you're willing to wait though."

"You don't have to bother with tea," she replied kindly, "but I can help in arranging some of your things now. It's still early anyway."

* * *

Aoko was amazed as she looked around the large house. Only few pieces of furniture were already in place and numerous boxes were piled in each room but she could easily imagine how wonderful the abode was going to be after the Akiba's manage to settle in. Beyond the spacious foyer were doors towards different rooms. As she poked around after receiving permission from Conan, she found the largest room in the first floor.

It was a curious room because it was the only one that had everything in it arranged already. The floor was covered in a dark blue plush carpet and the large glass windows were covered by crème colored curtains. A settee was located near one of the windows in the left part of the room, accompanied by a set of gray plush chairs and a mahogany coffee table. The shelves on the opposite side of the room were already full of books. There were no visible boxes at all.

The most remarkable thing in the room was the black, shiny grand piano that was set in the middle of the right side of the room. Beyond the piano, she could see a table with a picture frame set upon it, as well as a flute, a metal orchestral one—

"Aoko-san?"

She turned around abruptly at the sound of her name. She had been so absorbed in her observations that she had almost forgotten her real purpose for being in the house. She offered Conan a sheepish smile.

"Sorry, Conan-kun," she apologized. "I just noticed that this room seems to be the only one already arranged and it looks wonderful."

The boy nodded and walked past her to get inside the room. He set the book he was holding on the coffee table and gestured for her to enter the room as well. "'Kaa-san wanted this room to be our music room since it's spacious. She already had some people make it soundproof. Even the windows won't let any sound out unless they're opened." At her questioning glance, he explained further. "She's a musician, a singer in particular. As a voice major, she was required to minor in piano. A practice room is a must for her since she is asked to perform often."

He walked over and patted the large black instrument in a seemingly fond manner. "This was the first thing she invested in after graduating so you can say she's rather attached to it." He turned towards her and grinned. "Don't tell her I told you that though. She wouldn't admit to anything and would only give me more chores as punishment."

Aoko nodded with a returning conspiring smile and stalked over to examine the picture by the flute. It showed the image of a smiling man, with dark hair and a flute clutched in his hands. She turned back to Conan, who was now busying himself with looking through the shelves.

"Conan-kun?" She continued when she gained his attention, "Is this your father?"

He glanced at the photo she was inspecting and shook his head. He abandoned the shelves and walked over to stare at the image too. "He was Okaa-san's late fiancée."

"Oh, I see," she said, feeling a bit awkward for striking such a sensitive subject. She tried with a different question. "Who's your dad then and where is he then?"

This time, he turned to her and graced her with a slightly sad smile. "I wouldn't know, Aoko-san. I am only an adopted son."

_Now_ she felt completely horrible. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked, really…"

He shook his head again. "It's not a big deal. You would have found out later anyway. We don't really keep it a secret."

"Still, I shouldn't ask so much personal questions," Aoko insisted. "I'm being rude."

"I don't mind." He waved off her aggravation. "Friends tell each other things like that, right?"

She blinked in surprise. She agreed with a grin though and made her way to the piano inquisitively. "Do you play the piano too?"

He nodded, looking grateful at the change in subject. "Not as much as 'Kaa-san though. I'm more familiar with the violin than with the piano."

That piqued her interest further. "You play the violin? Will you let me hear you play some time?"

Conan had to comply at her eager expression. For some reason that he couldn't explain, he couldn't say no to her when she set her _blue_, _blue_ eyes upon him.

_To be continued…

* * *

_

_I wonder why. *snickers* Hm, I'm hinting to a pairing. Sort of. Wait, make that _two_ pairings XD But, sorry, not really focusing on romance here. If you're looking for that, please head over to my other story if you're a yaoi fan. If not…you can look somewhere else. Though I can't really guarantee this to be free of romance…those things just pop out without my notice. Geh._

'L'art pour l'art' - _French for_ _'art for art's sake'. It's a philosophy that some follow concerning art, where you pursue your art for the sake of that art and not for personal gains. I'll have to admit that I rarely do this. I'm rather selfish :P_

_Why must it be so hard to stop writing when you get into it? Agh, NaNoWriMo may be wonderful and all but it's made me less resistant to writing. Of course, it's fun to write, but when you're supposed to be writing something else…meep._

_Anywho, interaction between Aoko and Conan, check! XD They were rather OOC though, especially Conan (though I actually made him like that on purpose :P). Weirdly enough, I feel like I got Reiko's character more than I got them, even though she only appeared in one movie o.O What do you guys think?_

_DC and MK canon timelines confuse me so. If Kaito only became KID during his second year in high school, then, if Shinichi were supposedly of the same age, the clock tower heist should have happened not long before he was drugged with Apotoxin and became Conan. And, after he became Conan, he goes against Kaitou KID numerous times. After re-reading MK manga chapters, I've found that he started out at the age of 17, in high school already. Shinichi appears in MK in Kaito's flashback of the heist (MK Vol. 4, ch3-4). As Conan, he's not appeared, but that heist where Kaito had the flashback was where he would meet Conan but it wasn't shown in MK (it would've been redundant anywho, since it's in DC already)._

_Weird. All weird! Anywho, if anyone can tell me how a high school year in Japan goes (i.e. when term starts, when summer break is, etc), I'd greatly appreciate it. I really haven't much time to research anything outside of analytical chemistry so...yeah. Please? I'll give you virtual brownies~ :P_

_Ah, someone (thanks for bringing it up, __**Elena Forest**__!) finally asked in a review about what happened to Ran and the others. No, I haven't forgotten about them. However, you won't be seeing much of the major DC characters aside from Conan until later. Much later. In fact, there's a chance that you won't be able to see Ran until the next installment…_

…_oops. Did I say that out loud? XD –shot-_

_Ehm. Okay, no more spoilers. Here are the replies to the anonymous reviews!_

_**Anonymous**__, thanks! I _was_ hoping it to be original, but I haven't gone through all the fics in the DC category yet so I can't be sure :P __**Alias**__, actually, I hadn't planned that during my plotting. It was a random thing. I just wanted Kaito to teach Conan magic tricks, but Kaito insisted on making it more interesting XD Hm, that was rather fast, I just realized. The friendship, I mean…huh._

_**Akemi**__, will do~ __**Mysteryfan17**__, I actually have an exam on Saturday again. Eep. Hm, that would be a nice idea. And, for your previous suggestion, I hope you don't mind if I tweak it for my purposes…o.O Thanks a lot! I'll keep on writing, don't worry. I'm just getting delayed -_-_

_I'm sorry again for the delay. I'm going to be quite busy again this coming weekend (why am I busier in the weekend anyway?) as we're going to have a huge family reunion with some relatives in Zambales (may mga Pinoy bad yang nakatira dun? :P) and I doubt I'll be able to update this weekend._

_Still, I hope you guys stay tuned for the next chapter. Even without Shadow's Rage's promise of Rockband, I'd still continue this. It's my most promising fic idea by far and it's taking me so far already…n.n_

_Ok. AN is too long now. I shall go. Thanks again, even to those who simply read this. Keep the hits and reviews coming? :3_

_Posted on May 5, 2010_

_P.S. Plug: __**StargateNerd**__ made a trailer for my other DC/MK fanfiction entitled _'Moonlit Blood'._ If you're interested, you can view the nice trailer on YouTube, entitled similarly as my fic. And to those who are also waiting for updates to that fic, I will be posting it tomorrow. I just need to tweak some parts…:D_

_P.P.S. We have a name for Kaito's mother now! It's Chikage. Just in time for my fic! XDDD Lol, they changed her completely from the manga. She was off in LA in the MK special episode. Unlike with the manga, where she only appeared briefly and only in the Kuroba household. Huh. I need to revise some things to fit…teehee…_

_P.P.P.S. (XD) I'm sorry to the authors here if I'm not reviewing for the fics I'm reading. I haven't even been able to read all the updates yet...*sighs* I really dislike having classes when it's supposed to be vacation ._._

_Edited chapter posted on May 21, 2010, beta by __**nataeiy1**_.


	4. First Movement: Third System

_Huh. I'm late. Again. I can't seem to be able to follow schedules -_-_

_On a good note, this means that you get a better chapter. Yep, that's right. It's better. Because someone beta'd it!_ _Let's all give a hand to the patient _**_nataeiy1_**_ for making her way through my errors here! Yay for Natalie-san! She has DC fics too! Do take the time to check them out :D_

_Some definitions (c/o Wikipedia):_

'Tou-chan/'tou-san_ - father/dad_  
'Kaa-san_ - mother_  
_Croquette - breaded, deep-fried patties containing either mashed potato or white sauce mixed with minced meat, vegetables or seafood_  
Tonjiru_ - soup made with _miso_ dissolved in _dashi_, making it similar to miso soup, except that pork is added; also known as _butajiru_ in the Western parts of Japan_  
Daikon_ - a mild-flavored, very large, white East Asian radish_  
Bettarazuke_ - a kind of pickled _daikon_ made by pickling _daikon_ with sugar, salt and _sake_ without filtering _koji_; has a crisp, sweet taste_  
Keibu_ - 'inspector'; adding _'-san'_ makes the address more respectful (Note: Conan, in canon, calls Nakamori Ginzou _'Nakamori-keibu-san'_)_

**Dedications:** This chapter is dedicated to **Shadow's Rage**, still for her birthday. To **nataeiy1** for being my new beta reader. Also, to **Mysteryfan17**, for being ever so helpful with suggestions and constant reviews. Belated happy birthday to you as well!

**Disclaimer:** All characters and elements belong to Gosho Aoyama.

* * *

**Opus 1: Amazing Grace**  
_By Milky Étoile_  
Chapter Four: Third Movement

It wasn't long before Aoko and Conan locked up the house and made their way to the Nakamori residence. While walking, the older of the two was informing the younger about her father.

"You already know that 'Tou-chan's the head of the Kaitou KID task force," she started, by now feeling slightly aggravated just at the thought of the phantom thief. "'Tou-chan is very much dedicated to his work so, if that _thief_," the word was spat, as if it were acid, "has another heist planned soon, you might not see 'Tou-chan until it's over. He always makes sure he's prepared for whatever might happen and often works overtime at the station."

Conan pondered a bit over what she had just shared as she opened their gate and led him inside. Her abode was much simpler than his. In fact, it was a typical two-storey house, he noted as they entered the door.

Aoko called out, "Tadaima!" (behind her, Conan mumbled, "Excuse me for intruding.") not really expecting an answer. She was pleasantly surprised when her father's booming voice responded.

"Okaeri, Aoko!" Nakamori Ginzou greeted, coming into the hallway to meet her. He was still wearing his work suit; apparently, he hadn't had enough time to change yet.

His daughter immediately brightened. "'Tou-san! You're not preparing for a heist tonight?" Then, remembering, she stepped aside to put her new classmate in sight. "'Tou-san, this is Akiba Conan-kun. He's our new neighbor, along with his mother, Akiba Reiko-san."

"Pleased to meet you, Nakamori-san," Conan greeted with a low bow as the inspector looked at him curiously.

"Akiba-san is going to Paris at the moment though, so I invited Conan-kun over to stay here until she returns." Aoko threw her dad a meaningful glance, as if daring him to turn back her invitation. Ginzou, of course, understood.

"Ah, I see. Conan-kun, was it?" The inspector scratched the back of his head as the child nodded. "Nice to meet you. Uh, well, you can stay as long as you want. We have a guest room upstairs that you can occupy. Aoko, why don't you show him there so he can settle? I'll prepare dinner."

He started unbuttoning his coat and headed towards the kitchen, withholding the sigh he wanted to release. He really didn't mind having their new neighbor over, but his daughter was getting bossier and he knew it was probably due to his example. He gruffly pushed his thoughts aside and shuffled about, making dinner for three.

Meanwhile, Aoko grabbed one of Conan's bags, much to his protest, and led him upstairs, ignoring his complaints by telling him about the parts of the house that they passed. Eventually, they reached the third door in the hallway.

"This is our guest room," Aoko said and opened the door. "The bathroom here in the second floor is at the end of the hall. If you need anything, my room is just beside yours." She set the duffel bag on the neatly arranged bed and turned back to him. "Do you need any help unpacking?"

Conan shook his head and put his large backpack and violin case on the floor beside the bed. "I'll be fine, Aoko-san. You've already done so much for me. Thank you very much." He bowed to her in gratitude.

She flushed slightly at the boy's manners. "It's nothing, really. At least, this way, we can get to know each other better, right?" she reasoned with a smile.

He straightened and returned her grin. "That's true."

After assuring once more that he didn't need any assistance, Aoko left to go to her own room, reminding him to come down when her dad calls dinner. Conan was then left to examine the room. It was sparsely furnished, with a bed by the right wall, a bedside table on its left with a lampshade on top, a wardrobe by the left wall and a desk with a matching chair by the curtained window on the far side of the room. The bed, he noted as he sat on it, had a very comfortable mattress.

Conan sighed and laid down on the bed. The whole staying over was so sudden and he was uncertain if it was really right to take advantage of his new friend's kindness. His mother had agreed so easily that he had to wonder if she ever thought to have some bashfulness. He shook his head, his dark brown hair against the blanket. Shyness was not in Reiko's dictionary. And he was sure that she _was_ the type to take advantage of something offered.

Nevertheless, there was really no reason to just laze about. He stood and started to look for a change in clothes. He might as well get comfortable before dinner. He'd figure out some way to repay Aoko and her dad later.

* * *

Forty minutes later, a knock on the door stopped Conan from arranging the books he brought on the desk.

"Conan-kun?" Aoko's voice was muffled behind the door. "Dinner's ready. Head downstairs when you're ready, okay?"

He answered in affirmative and listened as her footsteps faded towards the direction of the stairs. He then decided to just continue arranging his things later and made his way out of the room and to the dining area. When he arrived, he saw Aoko setting down bowls of rice on the table.

"Is there anything I can help with, Aoko-san?" he asked tentatively as he walked towards her.

"Oh, no, there's no need," she replied with a smile. "Besides, you're a guest—you shouldn't have to do anything."

Before Conan could protest, her father agreed with her as he pulled out a chair and sat down. "You should just listen to her, Conan-kun. She won't let you lift a finger while you're here, no matter how much you ask."

Aoko flushed in embarrassment and turned towards her dad with a glare. "Otou-san!"

Ginzou showed her a small smirk. "I'm only saying the truth. Why don't you both take your seats so we can start? I'm famished."

Both complied, Aoko with a huff and Conan with a timid smile. They all chorused, "Itadakimasu!" before digging into their simple meal of rice, croquettes, tonjiru, and bettarazuke. Dinner passed with light talk, with Conan only contributing little to the conversation. That is, until the inspector turned his attention to the boy.

"So, Conan-kun," he started after sipping some of his soup, "I noticed you were in a uniform earlier. It seemed familiar but I can't recall what school that's for. Where do you study now?"

Aoko and Conan stared at him, silent for a moment, before the older of them giggled.

"Otou-san, gomen," Aoko apologized. "I forgot to say—Conan-kun's my classmate."

Ginzou nodded and brought his cup of tea to his lips, muttering, "Ah, right, classmate…" He sipped a bit of the tea before his eyes widened in realization. He promptly spat out the tea in surprise. "What? He's your classmate?" He slammed down the cup, spilling the last of its contents on the table.

Aoko looked like she wanted to scold her dad for making a mess. However, she refrained from doing so and explained further instead. "Yeah, he's in my class. Right, Conan-kun?"

The boy was taken aback by the inspector's sharp gaze on him. With nothing else to do, he nodded and set down his chopsticks. "Hai. I only joined 2-B this Monday."

The inspector still looked boggled at the idea that the mere _boy_ was part of his daughter's class. The kid looked like he was _six_, for goodness' sake!

Aoko didn't seemed bothered by her dad's stupor though and went on to relay how intelligent Conan was, effectively making the boy flush scarlet at all the praises she uttered. Eventually, Ginzou processed the information she gave and put his amazement aside. He interrupted her tirade then.

"Where did you study before you went to Ekoda High, Conan-kun?" he asked, peering at the short male inquisitively.

Conan, still feeling quite flustered, answered, "I was in Teitan Elementary School for a week before I was transferred. Um, I asked 'Kaa-san to put me where the placement tests said I should be in. Since she wanted to move here to Ekoda, she enrolled me into Ekoda High School."

"Teitan Elementary?" The father and daughter both frowned. "Were you put in the grade for your age?" Aoko queried.

He nodded. "Hai. But things didn't go so well there so…" It was clear he didn't wish to talk about the matter.

The other two decided not to pry. Instead, Ginzou asked, "Where did you learn everything you know then? You couldn't have learned all of that in elementary." At that, the boy appeared to become even more uncomfortable. At Aoko's glare, the inspector gave a nervous laugh. "Sorry! Of course, if you don't want to share, you don't have to answer."

Conan shook his head fervently though. "It's all right. It's not much of a secret…" He frowned and fidgeted, wondering exactly how he was supposed to explain his situation. After a whole minute of uncomfortable silence, in which the other two uncertainly continued eating, he cleared his throat to speak. The two immediately turned their attention to him again.

He relayed how he had gotten into an accident and how Reiko had helped and, eventually, adopted him. While he was recuperating, he studied all the books that he could get his hands on, including Reiko's old school books.

"I'm suffering from retrograde amnesia, you see." At their blank looks, he elaborated, "Retrograde amnesia is the type of amnesia where the past memories are forgotten. Okaa-san thought to make me see if I could recall my knowledge by having me learn what I could. I went through the different subjects she presented easily since I found that I already knew them somehow. So, I'm really not sure where I originally learned everything I know now."

The two were bewildered. The boy had amnesia but recalled so much knowledge? They both wondered who could've taught him all of that before the accident he mentioned.

Conan still didn't look comfortable discussing the subject though, so Aoko piped in, "I think we've got some chocolate pudding in the fridge! Let me go and get it so we can have dessert." She promptly left the room, leaving another awkward silence in her wake.

Ginzou cleared his throat uneasily. "Well, that's quite the story you have there, Conan-kun. Nevertheless, you're quite clever then. Maybe you could help with some of my cases!"

Conan grinned slightly at the thought of possible mysteries—he did love figuring out things like those. "Maybe. I'm not sure I can be of much help though."

"Are you trying to get Conan-kun to join your chasing of Kaitou KID, 'Tou-san?" Aoko arrived with the aforementioned puddings in tow. "You shouldn't pull him into your affairs, you know. He's a civilian."

Ginzou waved her concerns off. "I know, I know. I was just kidding."

They all dug in their dessert, Conan's disappointment going unknown to the other two.

* * *

After cleaning the dishes, with Conan doing none of the work, Aoko proposed that they work on their assignments for school.

"That way, I can show you around tomorrow!"

Conan agreed and, soon, the two occupied the dining table again, this time with their homework laid in front of them, with two cups of tea beside it. They started doing their individual work in silence until Aoko decided to ask about certain parts. Eventually, what began as clarification became a discussion between the two.

"But you can't just square that to come up with the given formula!"

"It's possible. It makes the whole equation simpler because then you can cancel some of the terms."

That was how Nakamori Ginzou found his daughter and her new classmate when he came down for a break from his paperwork. He watched as Conan wrote down what seemed to be an equation on a piece of paper before showing it to Aoko and explaining it. Everything he said went over the inspector's head but Aoko seemed to understand it.

Conan noticed him and stopped in mid-sentence. "Nakamori-keibu-san, is there anything you need?"

Ginzou scratched the back of his head as Aoko turned to him as well with a questioning glance. "No, I'm just taking a break from paperwork. Why don't you just call me by my name, without the 'keibu'? I'm not on duty at the moment, you know."

The younger male looked uncertain but he agreed to address the inspector as 'Ginzou-san'.

Suddenly, Aoko suggested, "'Tou-san, why don't you come with us tomorrow? I'll be showing Conan-kun around Ekoda."

"I don't think I can accompany you, Aoko. I need to take care of some paperwork and I might get a case too."

She seemed to visibly deflate. "Oh, all right then."

Noticing her change in demeanor, Conan asked, "Where will you be taking me?"

Her mood immediately went up again, to the child's amazement. "Well, I'll have to show you the important places first, like the train station, the post office, the police station…"

It was only when Ginzou reminded them of their homework that they stopped discussing the plans for the next day.

"You can't go to all of that if you don't finish your work now," he commented with a chuckle and made his way back upstairs to get back to his own work.

* * *

The next day, Conan woke up to the sound of knocking on his door.

"Conan-kun? Are you up yet?" came Aoko's voice from the other side. "The bathroom's free now. Breakfast will be ready soon. We'll head out after eating."

"I'll be right there!" he responded before he pulled the blankets off him with a wide yawn. He rubbed the sleep out of his right eye, straightening out the sheets on the bed as he did. Then, he gathered his bathing materials as well as a change of casual clothes before heading towards the bathroom. After a ten-minute shower, he walked back to the guest room with his used clothes in tow, resolving to ask Aoko later if he could do his own laundry. Setting those and his towel aside, he grabbed his red mobile phone and wallet and put them in separate pockets of his tan cargo pants. He straightened his light blue turtleneck shirt and ran a hand through his still-wet hair. Then, he made his way to the dining room.

"Good morning, Conan-kun!" Aoko greeted as she set down a plate of pancakes on the table and took her seat.

"Good morning to you too, Aoko-san," he returned and sat down in the same seat he took the previous night, beside her.

"Morning," Ginzou called out with a yawn as he came in, fixing his necktie. He sat down as his greetings were returned. He immediately grabbed the mug of coffee that was beside his plate and chugged it down.

Conan was staring blankly at him as he drank. The inspector noticed and paused. "What is it?" he asked gruffly, still not fully awake without enough caffeine in his system.

The younger male turned towards Aoko and queried, "Can I have a cup of coffee too?"

The two gazed at him peculiarly. Aoko reasoned weakly, "You might not like it."

Conan shrugged. "I do like it. I would have it everyday if 'Kaa-san didn't detest it so much. Please?"

After sharing a glance with her dad, she agreed and gave him a cup, offering milk and sugar. She stared when he declined and drank the scalding liquid without preamble. She wondered how such a young boy could chug down coffee like that. She couldn't even drink it without milk!

Noticing their gazes on him, Conan put down his cup and ducked his head, mumbling, "Itadakimasu," before digging into his pancakes. The two others promptly followed suit.

Breakfast went by in a comfortable silence due to the fact that Ginzou was still not fully awake, Aoko was going through their plans for the day in her head, and Conan was enjoying his cup of coffee and pancakes. Afterwards, Conan was able to get the duty of wiping the dishes dry on the grounds that he would be bored if he didn't. Aoko was skeptical but she let him do it anyway as it gave her time to outline their agenda for the day.

Soon, they were all leaving the house. The two bid the inspector to take care before they started their tour.

"First stop: Kaito's house!"

Aoko had informed Conan the previous night that Kaito lived just down the road. They agreed to see if he'd like to join them on their tour as it would be more enjoyable that way, though Aoko grumbled that he'd probably tease her mercilessly the whole day, as he was wont to do.

When they arrived, Conan surveyed the exterior of the Kuroba residence as Aoko rang the doorbell. He found that, though it seemed smaller than the Nakamori's at the front, it seemed to stretch farther to the back.

The door was opened by a woman with shoulder-length, straight cut brown hair, a white ruffled blouse, a brown pencil skirt, and a smile on her fair features.

"Ah, Aoko-chan! Good morning!" she greeted cheerfully and opened the gate.

"Good morning to you too, Chikage-san!" the teen returned just as happily. Then, she stepped aside and pushed Conan forward. The boy took it as a signal to introduce himself.

"Um, good morning, Kuroba-san," he greeted with a polite low bow. "I'm Akiba Conan, Aoko-san's new neighbor and classmate. It's nice to meet you." He bowed once more.

The older woman seemed to take his introduction in a stride. "Ah, so _you're_ that Conan-kun that Kaito's been excited about!" she gushed out and kneeled to be at his level. "You are quite adorable too. Call me Chikage-bachan, all right, Conan-chan?"

The boy flushed slightly at her compliment and selected honorific. "Ha-hai, obasan."

Chikage let out a 'tut'. "We'll work on that later," she said, much to Aoko's amusement and Conan's further embarrassment. She stood up and addressed the younger woman again. "Are you here for Kaito?"

Aoko nodded. "I'm going to show Conan-kun around today. We agreed to see if Kaito can come with us. Is he awake yet?"

Chikage frowned. "I'm afraid he can't join you. He has a rather high fever and a horrible cold."

The other two exchanged worried glances. "Will he be all right?" Aoko queried.

"I'm sure he'll recover soon. It's only due to the change in season." The woman seemed to know what Aoko was about to ask so she said further, "No, I can manage taking care of him, Aoko-chan. Besides, now we'll have some mother-and-son bonding time! Both of you can enjoy your day without worrying about him. He may be quite the handful sometimes but I'm still his mother."

Aoko didn't seem completely convinced so Conan thought to intervene. "We'll pass by again later to bring something for Kaito-san, ne, Aoko-san?"

She reluctantly nodded. "A-ah. We'll bring some fruit to help him recover."

Chikage smiled brightly at them. "That would be wonderful, thank you! Now, run along and have fun!"

The two both bowed in respect and bid her goodbye before heading off. Aoko still looked rather worried. Conan was slightly troubled too but he knew his other friend was bound to recover. So, he thought it was his duty to do what he guessed Kaito usually did.

A white, fully-bloomed rose materialized in front of Aoko. Blinking, she realized that it was Conan who made it appear with a smile.

"I don't think Kaito-san would want you to worry so much about him," he said as she took the offered flower. "He'll be fine."

Aoko stared at the rose for a moment, thinking. Then, she returned his smile. "You're right. A cold wouldn't be enough to keep an idiot like him down. He'd probably be causing more ruckus than usual on Monday to make up for the time he spent in bed."

Conan wasn't sure what to say to that so he only let out a nervous laugh.

* * *

Their morning was spent going around the area near their houses. Aoko showed him the way to the local market, where they decided to return later for the oranges, and the post office, which happened to be nearby as well. The park wasn't too far either so they walked in it for a bit. By the time they covered the whole park, it was already lunchtime.

"Are you up for Italian food?" Aoko asked Conan as they made their way to the shopping district. "I know of a good pizza place."

Conan agreed and, soon, they found themselves in a rather cozy pizza parlor. The colors around the restaurant were red, green and white. They were led to one of the booths situated by the glass windows. After ordering, they started an idle chat and sipped the sodas they were given. They dug in when their orders arrived and kept only light conversation.

However, halfway through their meal, a scream reverberated in the restaurant.

The two turned their eyes towards the commotion and saw that there was a man on the floor. He was not moving.

_To be continued…_

_

* * *

_

_And, we see that Conan is still a death magnet. Sorry, Co-chan! It won't be you if it didn't happen! n.n_

_Was Conan's interaction with the Nakamori's awkward? I have a feeling it was...-_- And concerning Chikage...I'm not entirely sure about her character. She's different in the manga and the anime o.O  
_

_I've mostly matched up the timeline for Amazing Grace to the original MK timeline. It was rather difficult, considering that they made it appear as if they hadn't moved a single year up, or, at least, they didn't make it evident if they did. And, if you try arranging the events that occurred in the manga, you would notice that the four volumes already included at least TWO YEARS. The first to second volume, not including the last 3-4 chapters, constitutes one school year. The remaining chapters of the second volume and the third volume (with 3-4 months missing before), not including the last 3-4 chapters (at least), makes up another school year. The remaining chapters of the third volume and the fourth volume don't seem to make up another whole year but it's STILL part of a third year. You see now why arranging the timeline was so difficult? I might as well edit the whole series if I consider everything! Gah!_

_Ehem. Anywho, the only thing you need to know now is that everything that is occuring now happens between the second and third volumes. Meaning, this is set 3 months before the _"Star War"_ chapter in the manga. Specifically, it's October and they are within their second term of the school year. And, for convenience, I'm making it so that Kaito took up the mantle of Kaitou KID when he was 16 and only in his first year of high school. Incidentally, the Clocktower Heist also occurred some time before summer, possibly during the first term, between April and July. I'm not defining when, exactly. Just thinking about it gives me a headache -_-_

_As for matching the DC timeline...ugh. I don't want to start. That's even worse. At least MK only had more than 2 years. How many season changes has DC undergone without Conan moving up a single, freaking grade? See what's wrong with that? ._. I tried matching DC with MK...and I got frustrated again. The Black Pearl heist occurs in MK in the 3rd year, presumably in fall. That would mean that all the cases that occurred previously, including when Hattori Heiji found out about Conan, happened within the year before. And that all actual encounters with the Black Organization occurred after that heist. And all the other heists in DC happened after all the published MK volumes (this part, at least, makes sense, considering that Kaitou KID's heist notes are more difficult in DC)._

_Ugh. Matching timelines is a pain. This is why it's so difficult to make AU fics for DC/MK. You can't just use what happened in canon and tweak it a bit. Well, it's part of the fun, I suppose. The info on the school years in Japan helped quite. Thanks to __**AEC1990**__ and __**anonymousgirl028**__ for the information again!_

_Now that I'm done rambling, I hope you review. This chapter, frankly, didn't have much action (it's _almost_ a filler if it didn't have its purpose -_-). And there's no Kaito (I gave him a fever and cold! I'm so sorry, Kai-chan!). And Aoko's not my favorite character. It's kinda sad. Almost like my chapters in Moonlit Blood that didn't have Conan in it, even when everyone probably wanted to see him there after the first chapter. Eep. Right. Let's wait for the next heist, okay?_

_...will anyone notice anything with the current part of the MK timeline I picked, relating to the heists? *snickers*_

_**Mysteryfan17**__, I didn't put in anything particularly funny this time so I think you'll be safe from waking your roommate up XD Multi-colored chalkboard might still appear 8P Thanks for all the ideas again! And for continuously reviewing in this story, and in MB as well. I really appreciate it._

_As for other review replies…I think I may have replied to some already but I'm not really sure. So, I'll clarify some things here. Yes, Reiko is the same soprano from the 12__th__ DC movie. I think I put this story under the 'friendship' category :D As for Conan's habit of rushing towards the crime scene…all in the next chapter!_

_Again, thank you, thank you, _thank you_ for all the reviews! Reviews are about the only things that cheer me up these days so…*sigh*_

_I must go now so, I hope to see you next week for the next installment. Take care!_

_Edited chapter posted on May 21, 2010, beta by __**nataeiy1**__._

_P.S. If you would notice, the other chapters are also beta'd now, even the ones in Moonlit Blood. All thanks to Natalie-san!_


	5. Interlude

_It's been so long! I'm sorry. I was only able to give out a warning in my last chapter for __**Moonlit Blood**__. I wrote most of this on paper along with the next chapter. I noticed that when I write before typing, I get better chapters. I hope that's the case for this one too. Meep._

_Anywho, this chapter has been beta'd by dear __**nataeiy1**__. I must also declare Shadow to be my official researcher, bouncing board and plunny-provider…since she refuses to be completely spoiled so I could make her my co-writer XD Well, I'm not forcing her. She's enjoying herself enough—though she gets even more curious to read my stories when I ask her to look up information for me. Teehee._

_I need to give out a warning: __**Updates may come slower than before—my classes will be starting this week.**__ All of you students out there know how busy college life can get. I have six subjects this semester (I usually only get four, though with more units due to laboratory) and I must really give more effort for my academics. For that, I'm really, really sorry. I assure you though that I will __**not**__ be abandoning either of my DC/MK stories. I enjoy writing them too much._

_Also, I tried my best to keep the people here in character. It's my first time writing them._

_Well, have fun!_

Notes/Translations:  
_Keibu_—inspector  
_Hakase_—doctor/professor  
_Kaitou_—phantom thief  
Yokohama, Chiba, Osaka and Kagoshima are found below (south) of Tokyo. Sapporo is up north.  
_Heisei_ is the name of the current era of Japan. It started from January 8, 1989 after the death of Emperor Hirohito. When Shinichi is dubbed the 'Heisei Holmes', it is meant that he is considered the Sherlock Holmes of the Heisei era of Japan.

**Dedication:** This chapter could not have been possible without the motivation given by **Shadow's Rage**. I mean it. She _threatened _not to give me free Rockband time if I didn't post this. She _knows_ how bad I want to play…

**Disclaimer:** All characters and elements of _Detective Conan_ and _Magic Kaito_ belong to Gosho Aoyama.

**

* * *

**

**Opus 1: Amazing Grace**  
_By Milky Étoile_  
Chapter Five: Interlude

Three hours. It's been _three long hours_ since that infuriating detective left Mouri Ran in Tropical Land.

She was seething. First of all, he had kept blabbering about Sherlock Holmes, even when they were supposed to be celebrating her championship in the karate competition. Next, another person had been murdered during _their _turn in the roller coaster, and, of course, Shinichi just had to solve the mystery; never mind that she had been frightened by the whole ordeal. _Now_, he had the gall to abandon her without informing her that he didn't intend to return.

Oh, that detective geek would _surely_ get a knuckle sandwich for his efforts…

She took a calming breath and ignored her dad's grumbling for supper in favor of attempting to call that annoying idiot. He deserved an earful for not being a good gentleman.

She picked out his number on her mobile's phonebook and pressed the call button. She frowned at the response that the number she dialed was unreachable. Checking that the number was right (she'd naturally memorized it after using it so many times), she tried again and received the same message.

She decided to try the landline phone so she walked over to Kogorou's desk. She scolded her father for leaving so much trash that the phone was already buried in it. After shoving aside the empty cans of beer and other various things to be thrown later amidst her dad's protests, she dialed the Kudou mansion's number and waited. However, she was turned over to the answering machine. The message was what Shinichi probably recorded earlier in the day before he headed for Tropical Land.

It made her frown as she set the receiver back. Where on earth was he?

She assured herself that the idiot was probably just caught up in some case and forgot to turn on his phone (or charge it, which was more possible for him). With a grumble about detectives and their stupidity, she started to clean up her dad's mess before complying to his pleads for dinner. She'd just head over to Shinichi's abode after eating to give him a scolding about worrying her. He was just _asking_ for it.

* * *

An hour or so later, Ran held an umbrella above her head to shield herself from the pouring rain. She was composing her spiel for Shinichi in her head while walking the familiar path to the Kudou mansion. When she started walking by the large houses of Nichoume, she was already done with her lecture about being a good gentleman and was halfway through the one about giving her cause for concern. The rain had stopped by this time and she was careful not to stumble on the slippery road.

Nearing her destination, she was only slightly surprised when she saw Agasa-hakase, a family friend and neighbor of the Kudou's, picking at chunks of his now-broken wall. It was a normal occurrence for him to wreck some part (or even whole) of his house due to explosions caused by his various experimentations with technological inventions.

"Hakase," Ran called when she was sufficiently close to him. When he turned and recognized her with a warm smile, she asked, "What happened here?"

The man let out a sheepish laugh. "Ah, Ran-kun. Just a small accident with my latest invention. Nothing to worry about." Obviously not eager to discuss his mishap, he gave a query of his own. "Here for Shinichi-kun?"

She nodded and started to ramble about his most recent slight against her. When she realized what she was doing, she stopped with a blush and apologized. After Agasa assured her that it was fine, she asked about her friend's whereabouts.

"Well, I'm not too sure," he answered with a scratch on his bald patch. "I haven't seen him since this morning. Maybe he's already home."

"He hasn't been answering any of my calls, even those to their landline," she muttered in refute.

He, too, frowned then. "That isn't like him. But he could be asleep already. We could check if you'd want. I have the spare set of keys back in my lab." When he received an affirmative response from her and an advice to change his attire, Agasa scuttled back into his mansion through the hole in the wall separating the street and his front yard.

As Ran waited, she tried to keep down the growing worry in her. It wasn't easy, considering how much Shinichi attracted trouble with his being a detective.

When the professor came back out, he was in another lab coat that covered most of his yellow sweater and dark brown pants. He first thought to ring the doorbell to the Kudou mansion, but when there was no response for five whole minutes, he picked the right key to the gate. He opened it and beckoned for Ran to follow him. He unlocked the front door and entered. As he switched his shoes with slippers, he called out for Shinichi. When there was still no reply, he turned to Ran.

"Ran-kun, I'll go and check upstairs to see if he's already asleep," he said. "Why don't you check if he's in the library?"

They agreed to meet up in the foyer after their respective searches.

As Ran walked around without seeing any sign of her childhood friend, that feeling of dread she felt back when Shinichi left her in Tropical Land came back with a vengeance.

She looked up from her clasped hands abruptly at the sound of her name. Seeing the rotund professor making his way down with an expression of worry made her stand up while mirroring the look. "Not up there either, Hakase?"

He shook his head. "No. Perhaps he got caught up in an investigation…? We could ask Megure-keibu-san."

Using the house phone, Ran dialed the direct line for Inspector Megure. Thankfully, he was by his desk and responded.

"Konbanwa, Megure-keibu-san. This is Mouri Ran. I'm sorry to call you so suddenly but we wanted to ask if Shinichi's there at the station or maybe if he's involved in some case at the moment."

"Kudou-kun?" Ran could already imagine the frown crossing the inspector's features. "No, he's not here and, as far as I know, he's not investigating any cases. Well, at least, none that my officers are involved with. I haven't seen him since that murder at Tropical Land. Weren't you there with him?"

"Yes, but he went off somewhere on his own shortly after that case," she answered. "I tried to contact his mobile but it was out of reach. And Agasa-hakase and I have looked for him in his house but he's not around anywhere. We're both concerned because it's not like him to go somewhere without giving us some idea as to where he would be unless it's a mystery that he's gone off to solve."

"That is quite unusual," Megure replied. "But I'm sure Kudou-kun can take care of himself well enough. Let's give him some time. He could just be somewhere else with a case. If he doesn't turn up tomorrow evening, let me know and I'll see if I can pull a couple of officers to do an advanced search."

Giving an affirmative response reluctantly and thanking the inspector profusely, she returned the receiver to its place and relayed the message to the professor. They eventually agreed to let each other know of any news.

* * *

Ran grew increasingly worried as the next day passed without any contact from both Shinichi and Agasa. When evening came, she phoned the professor and received nothing on her friend's status. She called Megure afterwards. He assured her that he would be looking into it if Shinichi's parents allowed him to.

"We're not supposed to look for him yet since it hasn't been forty-eight hours," he explained. "But if Yuusaku-kun knows nothing of his son's whereabouts, we might have to assume that something happened to him."

It was clear that even he knew of the teenaged detective's penchant for trouble.

Less than half an hour later, Ran received a call from the inspector.

"Yuusaku-kun informed me that he also didn't have any idea as to where his son could be," he relayed with a gruff sigh. "If we don't find a trace of him by tomorrow, he and his wife will be heading back into the country to aid in the official search. Takagi-kun and Chiba-kun are not too busy at the moment so I can have them start looking. However, I will first need you to tell me what happened the last time you saw Kudou-kun."

Toning down her anxiousness, she recounted everything she remembered from the time that the murder case was wrapped up to the time Shinichi left her.

Megure let out a hum. "That doesn't give us much of a clue. Are you sure there's nothing else? Did he act suspiciously, even only for a few moments?"

Ran frowned and tried to recall. "Well…he acted a bit distracted before he left but I'm not sure with what."

"He might have seen something then," the inspector inferred. "A familiar person, a shady deal—it could be anything. Anyway, I'll ask Takagi-kun and Chiba-kun to investigate the area you were separated in. I'll keep you updated."

* * *

The next day, Ran wasn't able to concentrate on her classes. She kept glancing at Shinichi's empty seat. Sonoko, of course, noticed her unusual behavior.

"Well?" the shorthaired blond demanded as they waited for their next teacher to come. "What did your husband do now?"

Ran, despite her great worry, flushed at the question. "For the last time, Sonoko, Shinichi's _not_ my husband!"

Sonoko nodded amiably at her with her arms across her chest and her eyebrows raised at her. "Keep telling that to yourself. Now, where _is_ that guy? Did he play hooky just to solve another mystery?"

The brunette frowned. "I don't know. No one has seen him since he left me at Tropical Land last Saturday."

"Tropical Land?" her loud friend repeated. "You had a _date_ and you didn't tell me?"

Ran blushed at the sudden attention that the blonde's exclamation brought to her. "It _wasn't _a date! It was only to celebrate my win at the karate tournament!"

Sonoko easily waved off her protest. "You must tell me _everything_ that happened."

Ran felt rather cowed by her best friend's demanding gaze and her other classmates' leering stares. Thankfully, she didn't need to acquiesce to them due to the arrival of their teacher. Sonoko's pointed glare let her know that she wouldn't be able to get out of spilling everything though.

* * *

When evening came around, Ran was quick to answer when the phone in the Detective Mouri Agency rang.

"I'm afraid we still haven't seen any signs of Kudou-kun yet," Megure informed her with a weary sigh. "The official search started three hours ago. We've sent his information to the other districts. Also, his parents will be in the country in about an hour. Apparently, Yukiko couldn't wait. Yuusaku-kun will probably want to ask you some questions before anything else."

More than three hours later, the writer did come to her, though without his wife.

"I had hoped we would meet again in a better situation," he said with a small smile. Unsurprisingly, he answered the question that was about to spring from her lips. "I managed to convince Yukiko to bring our things back home before we start our search. Anyway, I'm sure the inspector has already warned you. I would like to hear how your last encounter with Shinichi went."

Dutifully, after seating him and giving him something to drink, she relayed everything, from the moment they met that day to the point that Shinichi left her. She didn't dare exclude any details, knowing that, like his son, Yuusaku paid much attention to them.

After she finished recounting the tale, he was clearly thinking deeply. He then asked, "About those men in black—do you recall exactly how they looked?"

With a frown, she described, "One of them was somewhat large, similar to Megure-keibu-san's build. He was wearing a black suit with matching pants. He also had a fedora hat and black sunglasses. The other guy was taller and slimmer. He had long, blond hair and a pale complexion. He was wearing a high-collared, long black coat too." She shivered when she remembered his fierce expression. "He looked frightening too."

"Hm…" The spectacled man leaned back into the sofa with furrowed eyebrows. After a whole minute of silence, he nodded and stood from his seat. "Thank you, Ran-kun, for your assistance. I'll be heading over to Megure-keibu to coordinate with them in the search. I'll let you know if we find anything."

Ran was uncertain as she led him back outside. She gathered her courage and concern and asked, "Can I join you in searching?"

The writer stared at her for a moment before shaking his head with a smile. "Not today, you can't. You have classes tomorrow, don't you?"

"But—"

"I'm sure you're extremely worried about Shinichi, possibly even more than I am." He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "However, it's still too early to be this concerned. He might have just gone somewhere on his own without leaving a note. We'll have to see first if that isn't the case. Besides, I'm sure he wouldn't want you to put your life on hold for his sake." He chuckled. "For now, you can prepare to give him the greatest scolding he'd ever receive, all right?"

Ran had to agree grudgingly. There was nothing else she could do.

* * *

Days passed. Then, it became a week, then two. It turned to three, and then a whole month. Still, Shinichi wasn't found. When summer vacation came, Ran insisted becoming part of the search. A second month went by without any clues of his whereabouts.

At first, they thought he went somewhere else in the country. They checked various records of companies of different modes of transport and ruled out that possibility, as well as his leaving of Japan. After receiving no notices from potential kidnappers (his parents were rich and even more well-known than he was), they were forced to abandon that probability too. They checked hospitals, other schools and various other establishments. They moved outside Tokyo, to Yokohama, Chiba, past Osaka until down to Kagoshima and went back up to Sapporo, but still came up blank. Eventually, they even looked into _morgues_ (all of them were undeniably anxious when they were searching there—and, consequently, they were marginally relieved when that venture wasn't fruitful either).

More months passed. Yukiko refused to pull out Shinichi's name from Teitan High School. Yuusaku pulled in various friends and acquaintances, people from the International Criminal Police Organization, more commonly known as Interpol or ICPO, included, and, still, they didn't find him. Ran even got _both_ of her parents to aid in the search.

They kept up their fervent search, even when Inspector Megure had to drop the case and file the Detective of the East as 'missing' (it didn't take long for that to happen since the first division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police wasn't meant to investigate that). He was immediately replaced. People they didn't even know became interested in the case of "The Missing Heisei Holmes". Journalists, reporters, lawyers, detectives, as well as a diverse collection of people that the teen had previously helped pitched in their efforts as well.

His Western counterpart, Hattori Heiji had come around and started his own investigation until he had to return home—though not without promising to keep an eye out for the detective he had gone against before.

The oddest person on the lookout for the missing detective was Kaitou KID, who dropped by the Kudou residence for a few minutes, just to inquire about the developments and to inform Yuusaku and Yukiko that he would be searching when he can as well. He had the tendency to leave messages via his heist notes—which got the couple to get into the habit of procuring a copy for each heist. Yuusaku did not attend the events though. Then again, all they got from the phantom thief were further confirmation of the teen's absence in Japan.

Everyone was vexed and worried. No matter the number of people searching for him, they couldn't find him. It was almost as if Kudou Shinichi had vanished from the face of the earth. But, of course, that couldn't be true.

LINEBREAK

On a rainy April day, ten months after Kudou Shinichi's disappearance, Agasa Hiroshi was making his way back to his mansion while pondering on a new device to help in searching for his neighbor that he had treated almost like a nephew or grandson. Like Shinichi's parents and Ran, he didn't believe in the possibility that he could be dead, so, he continued to pour his efforts in looking.

He was startled out of his calculations for a small searching robot when his eyes caught sight of a figure slumped over in the middle of the street in front of the Kudou mansion. Immediately, he approached it and tossed his umbrella aside in favor of turning the person over. He was hit with concern when he observed that it was a girl, possibly six or seven years of age, with damp blond curls and pale skin. She was unconscious.

The balding inventor carefully lifted the child into his house, abandoning his shield from the rain. Taking care of the girl was more important.

* * *

He switched her clothes with an old but dry shirt and a pair of shorts that belonged to Shinichi when he was eight. He gently towel-dried her hair before setting her in his bed and tucking her into it. Thankfully, she didn't seem to have caught a cold or fever from the cold temperature. After changing into different attire as well, he bustled around his kitchen to prepare some hot porridge and tea for the child for when she woke up.

He was surprised when he brought tea later and found that the girl was up and looking around cautiously. When she turned her light blue eyes on him, she demanded, "Where am I?"

Chuckling nervously at her sharp gaze, he set down the tray he carried on the bedside table. "You're in my house. I found you passed out in front of the Kudou mansion. Yuusaku and Yukiko are away at the moment." He turned a curious expression on her. "Why were you there anyway?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Who are you?"

"Ah, right! I haven't introduced myself yet." He scratched the back of his head, faintly offended by her behavior. "Erm, I'm Agasa Hiroshi. I've been a friend of the Kudou's for a long time. Were you waiting for them?"

The girl didn't answer and continued to scrutinize him, making him rather nervous at the intensity of her stare. When she, at last, spoke in her even tone, he heard the best news in almost a year.

"I may know how to find Kudou Shinichi."

_To be continued…_

_

* * *

_

_It's short; incredibly so! This is just an interlude anyway. A filler chapter, you may call it. Except this was supposed to be the prologue for the sequel…_

_Yes, I admit it. There will be a sequel. But that doesn't mean this story's going to end any time soon. Oh, no. Four chapters and I'm _still_ not done laying out the foundation for my plot. This story's going slower than I thought it would. Well, I don't mind—I hope you guys don't either. It means more chapters anyway. I told Shadow's Rage that this would be __**at least**__ twenty chapters long…_

_Ehm. Don't have much time. Onto review replies!_

_**Ginshi-chan**__, when I wrote 'as he was wont to do' I meant 'as he usually does'; and 'storey' is what I prefer to use when referring to floors in buildings n.n Thank you! I'm glad you like my story. And I have read that story that you mentioned. It was funny and adorable and it tickled me so when I read that someone was named 'Milky' XD (Shounen Tantei's teacher is Kobayashi). __**adeline02**__, I think not putting up the chapter with the case now makes me evil-er (I'm aware there is no such word XD).Thank you, __**kuroange1**__, also for your review to my other story. I'm flattered that you think me that—I think I may be partial to the word 'awesome' XD_

_If I wasn't able to reply to your reviews, I would like to thank all of you: __**milaneechan**__, __**Renkin-chan**__, __**Katty008**__, __**Tsubasa96**__, __**Madame of all Manga**__ (I will reply to your message the next time I go online XD), __**Ceirwy**__, __**GoddessSumizofVenus**__, __**MsBenzedrine**__, __**Mysteryfan17 **__(_two_ reviews o.O), __**Cheshire XIII**__ ('all that jazz'? XD), __**animechick789**__,and __**ShiroLight**__. And to all those who put my stories on favorite, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!_

_The next chapter will be out within the next two weeks. For now, here's a short preview:_

The scream that brought everyone's attention to the man who lay motionless on the floor triggered panic. Soon, others echoed various sounds of distress and moved frantically from their places to get away from the horrific sight.

"No one is allowed to leave the premises until the police arrive."

"This man is dead, mister."

"What do you think you're doing, boy?"

"My fiancé's dead and you're accusing me?"

"That's the same kind as the one we saw earlier! It's supposed to have a matching charm with their initials engraved at the back."

"That doesn't prove anything."

"What's happening there?"

"I mean, you should wait for your appointment! It's not safe to do that here."

"See? I've nothing to hide from you."

"I know who it is—the one who killed him."

_Hope that preview makes you look forward to it! For those reading __**Moonlit Blood**__, the sixth chapter will be up next week. See you then!_

_Posted on June 10, 2010._

_Edited chapter posted on June 25, 2010, beta by __**nataeiy1**__._


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